THE

DWELLING

Where you and God Intimately Reside

By

ANTOINETTE KINGSLEY

Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version ® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved”

“Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group."

All Rights reserved by Antoinette Kingsley

DEDICATION

I hereby dedicate this book to my Lord Jesus Christ without him I wouldn’t have been able to write this book. To my family and to every believer and everyone that wants to see a spiritual transformation in their lives and dwell more in God’s presence and intimately connect with God.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

THE SECRET PLACE

ABIDING IN GOD

ALONE WITH GOD

SECURITY

PURIFIED IN GOD

INTIMACY WITH GOD

MY EVERYTHING

WORSHIP

LOVE STORY

GOD’S PRESENCE

REFRESHING ANOINTING

PRAYER IN THE SECRET PLACE

GRATITUDE AND THANKSGIVING IN GOD’S PRESENCE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost with my heart of gratitude I want to show my love and appreciation to my father Jesus Christ, thank you lord for who you are to me and for what you have accomplished in my life. Your faithfulness goes beyond what I could ever think or imagine. Thank you lord for everything.

To my family, thank you for the foundation you have built in me. And for the love, support you have shown and given to me. I am so grateful for having the privilege to share this experience with you. I love you so much. To friends, thank you for your prayers, love and support . Thank you!

INTRODUCTION

I grew up in a small country called Uganda in East Africa which has faced a lot of darkness from the enemy. It  suffered too much tragedy such as wars, death, HIV and AIDS which almost wiped up the nation’s population, and great poverty on each side… there was too much loss that it would only take the hand of God to revive a nation which was called a dead continent and nothing good could ever come from it.

But due to calling on God and intimately residing in the presence of  God, the people of Uganda cried out to God, day and night, every hour that God would revive them again and heal their land… and indeed God was faithful and he healed, restored and revived  a land that was called for dead  and now is  alive.

A mighty revival broke forth and is still going on because the people of Uganda tapped into the greatest secret that opens up the heavens and that is, they made a decision to dwell daily in the secret place of the most high God and they were protected and saved under the shadow of the almighty. So watching this growing up I had a longing and zeal to know that kind of God that would save a nation and is still saving nations.

I needed him in my life, after watching all that was going on in my nation and losing my father when I was 5 years old that really changed a lot of things for me and I longed for a heavenly intimacy only Jesus could provide.

I remember my mother telling me anything and everything that I needed I would find it in God, so she said to me, seek and spend time with God and he will reveal to you greatest mysteries of heaven and he will give you the desires of your heart and protect you and guide you on your life’s journey.

My heart was excited to know  more about the God of  Heaven and Earth… long story short  my longing caused me to be desperate for God and the more I got desperate for God the more I wanted him and  decided to intimately reside with God and he resided in me. I had never felt so much unconditional love like this until I allowed God to really dwell in me and I have never let go ever since…

As you read this I want you to know I was inspired  by the Holy Spirit to write this book. And so I went through a season of fasting and praying to hear the voice of God and he spoke to my spirit the writings in these pages. This book is so dear to my heart… these are the things I had to exercise to abide in God. It should be a longing of your heart because God will never force Himself on you, He has given you a choice.

All he wants is for you to need and want his love more than life its self. God has walked with me through every storm, mountain or valley he has been right by my side I have never felt alone. The more I abide in him the more he fills me up with his love. He can fill you. Abide and reside in him.

The Dwelling place of God is a place where every believer should yearn and long for each waking day because God will lead you on the journey of love like you have never experienced before. That’s why his throne room is a place of abiding intimately with him holding back nothing because God is longing for a relationship with his children.

From the beginning of time the devil has tried and is still fighting the body of Christ to drift them away from Gods presence through his lies and deceptive ways. That’s why as children of God we need to be alert to the ways of God and abide daily with him and he will hide us under the shadow of his wings and protect us from the hidden tactics of the enemy.

As a body of Christ we are living in a season and a time when the church and the nations are being attacked on every side. That’s why Psalms 91 is very vital in a life of every believer. Come hell or high water we as believers are to dwell in the secret place of the most high and be still under the shadow of the almighty for he is our refuge and strength.

As you read this book my prayer is that this book will help you discover your value in God and how God longs for an intimate relationship with you, and that you will identify with the real you that God sees and that you will discover the sweetness of being and residing in his presence and feel Gods Intimate love for you. And I pray that this book will draw you close to God and you will have the longing and the zeal to daily abide in his presence. I pray that Gods anointing will feel you daily. Remember God’s intimate love and presence transforms, revives and heals everything that has been broken in your life. So abide in his shadow and you will be protected from everything. In other words every pain, Sickness or disease, emotional hurt, disappointments, insecurities and anything else that you need deliverance from God will rebuild and restore all and make you over in his image because you are His beloved, His son, His daughter and He cares a great deal about you and He is proud of you .In His presence that’s where you belong…. Just you and God alone! So I bless you in Jesus name.

CHAPTER 1

THE SECRET PLACE

Secret place is an intimate dwelling where only you and God intimately abide or reside. It’s a shelter under which we are protected and secured from harm. It’s truly one of a kind.

It’s a place where we can come apart from the world, its distractions, and concentrate only on being with Him. It’s a place of true worship and adoration to God. The Bible says, “Whoever dwells in the shelter (secret place) of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalms 91:1)

When we dwell in Gods secret place His Spirit dwells in us, He regenerates and builds us up if we will let Him in. He will help us to grow in His image; He creates in us a clean heart and a renewed mind! But we have to "dwell in Him", talk with Him, spend time getting to know Him, by reading His Word, seeking Him on our knees to become more like Him.

Have you ever had your own little secret place or dwelling place where you could go to get away from it all? A place where you could be alone with your thoughts and be alone with God? For me my secret place is the closet ( little small room in my house, it’s very quiet and peaceful and it's where I commune with God daily and He is always with me….. I’m in tune with God, I speak with Him and He speaks to me.

It’s a place where only me and God reside, my safe heaven, a place of intimacy, security and connection with my father God), to you it might be going on long walks in quiet places where you are alone talking with God, it can be in your car, the shower.

A Closet or a secret place can be anywhere, being alone with God is not limited to a certain place or area God can speak to you at your point of connection where there are no distractions just you and Him.

The Bible says, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalms 32:7)

Being in the secret place with God is the best thing you could ever do for yourself as a believer, Through spending time with God , your relationship with Him will mature, you will discover who you are as a child of God, and He will reveal His mysteries to you, and it’s a place of peace and happiness. There is nothing like it.

You can go to the secret dwelling place to be alone with God and to escape pain, heartache, and anything that troubles your soul. In His secret place, He also restores all that is lost, and He will heal every wound and hurt in your life.

There is something very special about the secret place. In it, you are truly alone with God. There is no one else with you; it’s just you and Him.

The good news is that, we as a body of Christ who have been born again, we all have access to the Holy of Hollies where we can be alone with God because the veil was removed when Jesus died and rose from the dead.

This place needs to be cultivated, so that being in His presence continually becomes a way of life. This way nothing around us or that we may face will be able to break the intimacy we have found in Him

Dwell in Him and not your own strength, He will direct your path and guide you between what’s right and wrong because He sees beyond your need, pain and anything that comes against you to keep you away from His presence. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight (see Proverbs 3:6)

When you dwell in the secret place of the Most High, you are in the relationship with God. God the Father desires to have a relationship with his children that He created in His image.

From generation to generation Gods desire has always stayed the same, which is to have a relationship with you and abide and reside with you. Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations (See Psalms 90:1)

Just like a newborn baby needs her mother’s milk to survive and just like a thirsty man in the desert needs water, even much more we as Christians need the dwelling place to quench our spiritual thirst and feed our souls. God’s dwelling place doesn’t run dry, it’s a place where we get filled over and over again we cannot exhaust God, He is more than enough, He is the all sufficient one the alpha and omega.

As I ponder on my relationship with God there are many times in my own life that I have fallen short of his glory. Many times it's been because of my selfish desires, not being consistent , lazy, complacent, not focused, easily distracted and not really doing what God called me to do which affected my relationship with God.

I was going through the motions… God was always with me, I walked with Him but I was not feeling His presence even when He whispered to me and told me how much He was in love with me and how He wanted to spend more time with me.

I thought about His words for a while and everything was great but something always happened to me that got me so distracted from my Lord… and I realized I was living from the outside in instead of the inside out. I focused more on what was happening on the outside instead of what God was doing on the inside, which led me to act more in the flesh than in the spirit because there was less of God inside me.

I wanted, I needed God so desperately, that I wanted answers for why everything in my life was happening the way it was and I came to a realization after trying all I had tried that nothing else could fill the void and the longing of my heart except Jesus Christ.

I knew that it was only and only God that could fill that part of me that was so empty, needing approval, acceptance, love, joy, peace and happiness and God told me through his word that everything I needed was in Him. He told me I would find what I am looking for if I would only seek His face.

My heart was filled with so much zeal for Christ, I wanted to know more about my God and He said, Antoinette I want you to spend more time with me and I will reveal to you what you don’t know because I am all knowing God and I want you to dwell with me in my presence.

God told me how much He loves me and I wept at the sound of His voice and fell in His arms of love and mercy and my life has never been the same since and in His presence I always experience fullness of joy, He says this in His word, You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand (see Psalms 16:11).

So don’t let the world drag you down and out of the will of God, long for Him every day, spend time with Him in secret and He shall reward you in the public. To crown it all, when we don’t seek God and spend time with Him we choose to walk out of His will. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you (see Mathew 6:6).

God is calling us to a place of intimacy where we can seek Him in spirit and in truth  and if it means that He has to take us out of our comfort zones to get us to the place of acknowledging Him as Lord of our heart He will do that all for His glory.

Our God is a jealous God, He wants us to worship Him and seek Him alone not putting anything above Him. So I realized that spending time with God was more rewarding than I ever imagined. God gave me peace, joy, unspeakable love when I started pursuing Him and not earthly things. I believe He can do the same for you, remember He said: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (see Jeremiah 29:13).

God’s presence is powerful, His secret place, His throne room, His dwelling place  is a place of holiness and intimacy with Him. Whenever we are in His presence there is peace, joy and life, you are never alone in His presence.

In this world there are many forces and distractions that come against the body of Christ on a daily basis. Generally, these come to challenge our faith, trust, hope in God, especially when we are not living in His will and not immersed in His presence and drinking from the living and everlasting well of life that does not run dry.

God is the giver of life; He loves you unconditionally, so when you dwell in His secret place He will reveal to you the hidden mysteries of heaven and because of His mighty presence, no devil in hell can come near your dwelling.

Remember God is all knowing, He sees and feels your pain, fears, regrets, disappointments, loss of a loved one and heartache anything that has afflicted you and taken your joy away, He wants to wash you clean and make you whole and restore all the years the devourer has stolen from you.

God calls you blessed, loved, healed, for He says it in His word He wants to give you hope and a future trust Him today and dwell with Him, He is waiting on you to come into his sweet presence. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (See Jeremiah 29:11)

The bible tells us that in His presence there is fullness of joy and freedom from every hindrance, storm, mountain, valley and the sea in your life that you were not able to overcome, conquer and cross over to the promised land that God has promised you, God has already made a way for you, all you have to do is abide and let Him guide your way to victory.

God wants you to know that you are an over comer and nothing will ever hurt you or touch you because you belong to him and he loves you he says it in His word. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you (See Luke 10:19)

Abide in Him today, God is here to hold your hand and walk with you side by side and no tide, no wave of the sea of pain, darkness, every evil that has been hovering over you for such a long time shall come near you, says the Lord for He is our refuge our protector in Him we are secure. (See Psalms 46:1) God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Dwell in God’s secret place lets His holy spirit and His sweet presence rain down into your heart and cleanse you so that you can see what God sees, feel what God feels and say what God says, what a friend we have in Christ Jesus, it’s a wonderful and beautiful relationship.

His presence is so beautiful it can’t compare to anything. Writing from personal experience God has filled me with His lovely spirit every time I am in His presence, I feel so secure, loved, blessed and nothing else matters but only God.

Enter Gods dwelling by trusting that you are walking into the holy of holies and be sure to walk boldly before His throne and believing that the reality of entering in His throne room is greater than the reality of the world around you. The difficulty is when we are wrestling with disbelief of who God is. So choose to believe God today.

If you have never been in God’s presence you are missing out on the best God has to offer. Are you empty, Lost, discouraged looking for answers? God is the answer to any question you might have. He can give you the strength, love comfort, joy, happiness, forgiveness, blessings, everything and anything that you are lacking God can feel you up, so run into His presence, into the secret place of the Most High God and abide under the shadow of His wings and let Him cover you and make you whole (See Psalms 91:1).

Your dwelling place oh Lord is so sweet, it’s where we choose to be, if you are reading this right now I encourage you to dwell with God in His secret place….. Jesus is the answer to what you have been looking for.

The Secret place prayer

Oh Lord in your secret dwelling place I abide, Fill me with your presence, let me be consumed and empowered by your presence. It is the one that never runs dry and never stays the same, for your love is ever-increasing and is inexhaustible. Draw me in and let me have a taste so that I will never forget how great it is. The pleasures and fulfillment I have in you, none can compare. Draw me into the living waters and cause me to thirst forevermore of you Lord. Fill me up, come and dwell in my heart and never leave. I thirst for you and you alone. You are the light that guides me through the darkest hours, times, years and seasons. Your love towards me never changes, I love you God you are the strength of my life. I worship you in your most secret place. Surround me with your love and wrap me in your arms and never let me go Jesus. Start with me Lord and bring revival to me first and bring me from glory to glory in you. Let revival start with me by enabling me to press into your intimacy, your secret place from this day forward and forevermore…… The Bible Says, How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home and the swallow a nest for herself, she may have her young— places near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you (See Psalms 84:1-4).

Lord I come boldly before you dwelling place… in Jesus name I pray

….Amen….

~~~~Meditation Notes~~~~

CHAPTER 2

ABIDING IN GOD

Abide means to wait, to endure without yielding, to bear patiently, to accept without objection, to remain stable or fixed in a state, to continue in a place. The Bible says, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing” (See John 15:4-5).

Abiding in Christ to me means that God has to be inside us and we have to be inside God. When we allow God inside of us, He invades every part of our lives, changes us, and uses us for His glory, and we also produce good fruit for the kingdom because the great I Am lives in us.

I believe that we are to abide in Christ by drawing near to God and by experiencing His nearness.

When we abide in God’s presence, He causes us to prosper beyond our limited perspective of prosperity and success. Prosperity is not defined by the amount of material things we have, but by the presence of God in our lives.

He says in His Word, But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Mathew 6:33).

The more God abides in us, the more blessed we are, because God is the creator of the universe and every blessing we need is in Him. So abide in God and He will dwell with you.

_________________________________________*www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abide

God speaks to us as we abide in His presence. His character comes through in our attitudes, in the way we think about things, in how we respond to people, and in the way we handle situations. In this way, we are being transformed, and as a result we are able to take His presence with us wherever we may go.

God longs to have this fellowship with us. But sometimes we feel ashamed or unworthy, so we hide from Him. We let sin hinder us from abiding in God’s presence. We may feel as though we have no time in our busy schedule to spend time just basking in God’s presence.

But I believe God wants us to put off all these “hindrances” and “excuses” to just commune with Him. The Bible says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” (see psalms 42:1). We need to desire daily and long to be in God’s presence and abide with Him and Know more about Him.

The most important factor in our walk with Jesus Christ is to abide in Him. The more we abide in Christ the more we have peace, victory over sin, and walk in His steps. To abide in Christ is to be in a being mode. When we abide in Christ, we are still doing the things God wants us to, but we are doing it in His strength.

Abiding in Christ is having an intimate relationship with Him. Our relationship with God is more important than the things we do or don’t do. The more we are abiding in Him the more we will be faithful. We will hear His voice more clearly, we will not be work-oriented, and we will have more peace in our life. To abide is to experience God’s presence.

What a wonderful honor we have to abide in our Lord and Savior and to dwell in the shelter of the most high God. That’s why in (Psalms 91:1) it says, “He who dwells,” because the psalmist knows that there are those who choose not to dwell and abide. You have a choice to make, but God wants you to choose to spend time with Him.

When we fellowship and wait before God, we receive guidance and direction to move according to His will. Out of abiding in God comes a vibrant prayer life and strong desire to see His will done on earth as it is in heaven.

Out of abiding in God comes doing, and because by definition abiding is a continual state of being, we will see the Father doing many things, and we will do the same things if we abide in Him. The Bible Says, Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner ( See John 5:19).

Abiding is total surrender of all that you are to Him and trusting God with everything without holding back. We have to realize that God cannot be mocked or be lied to; He knows everything about us.

He sees our deepest hurts, fears, disappointments, everything we have done and are going through, so the more we abide in Him, the more He gives us great victories over things we were not able to overcome alone. With Him, nothing is impossible.

In Him, He makes all things beautiful with His light of love, mercy, grace, and peace. We abide in Him through worship and prayer with our mind, heart, and soul.

What are you holding back from God or putting before God? Remember, the Scripture says if we abide in God, He will abide in us (John 15:4-5). Are you missing something, confused, depressed, have you lost all hope? Abide in God, and He will heal you and give the peace, hope, and the faith that you need to make it. Abiding in God is the key to total happiness.

Are hurt, past mistakes, finances, a broken marriage, or health struggles keeping you from abiding in God? Whatever it is, God wants you to reconcile everything back to Him: lay all your worries, doubts, fears at His feet, because in Him you are forgiven and made whole.

Open your heart and let Him heal you and overshadow you with His love. God wants to be one with you. He created you in His own likeness. He knows you.

When you can’t understand why certain things are happening to you, be still and know that He is God (see Psalms 42:10) and abide in His presence. Know He will fill you with Himself and enrich you with His goodness.

In my own life, I struggled a lot with letting go and fully submitting and surrendering all to God and abiding in Him completely. Fear of the unknown and doubt always got in the way until God reminded me that I am nothing without Him. That was a wake-up call for me.

I looked deep in my heart, and I realized my life was empty, lost, confused, and I had no clue about the abundant life God wanted to offer me. I felt like that every time I did not abide in Him. So Christ opened up my eyes to see the bigger picture: We are all nothing and our works are pointless if God does not abide in us.

So God told me to let go of all the baggage and pursue Him more than anything and abide in Him with my whole heart and soul. If you put Him first and seek His face daily, He will abide in you and show you the hidden mysteries He has in store for you.

When you abide in God, He opens up His heart to you, which is full of love. You are never alone when God lives in you. Life becomes much easier and simplified because Jesus guides your way and protects you from all harm.

Once we abide in Jesus, we grow accustomed to having communion with Him continually. We long for times alone with Him, and we love to bring our Father the glory that is His alone. The blessings, shelter, and the fruit that comes from abiding in Jesus are more than we could possibly imagine.

When we abide in God, we thrust forward and outward in love, grace, and mercy with the same longings and passion that God has for His people that He created. We will long to know God more, and like Jesus, we will get along with the Father, feel His heart, and do what He needs us to do in our lives and for those around us.

In this state of abiding, we find ourselves longing for intimate times of fellowship with God. Whenever we allow God to work on the inner most parts of our hearts, we are restored completely. When God abides in us, He changes our mind (our thought processes), our actions, and everything about us is alert to God’s ways because He lives in us.

God is holy and most powerful when we allow Him to invade our hearts and purify us to be more like Him and not the world. This reminds me of the Scripture that says...Greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world (see 1 John 4:4).

Abiding is about trusting your creator God and knowing that everything you need and want will be found in Him. He will take care of you. God will not force Himself on you. You have to want Him more than life and allow Him to be the air you breathe and you’re all in all.

Abide in God and draw close to His heart to know Him in a deep intimate way. He really wants to know you because He cares for you a great deal. Because we are always growing in our trust and knowledge of Him, every level of growth begins a new relationship with Father God. As we press into deeper relationship with Him, we will receive in our hearts the knowledge that He is protecting us in every area of our lives.

We are in a war and a battle between good and evil, but don’t be afraid because we have a mighty warrior on our side, the awesome Lion of Judah. He has overcome Satan and his kingdom and no weapon formed against you can prosper (see Isaiah 54:17) especially if you are abiding in God. He also abides in us and always protecting us by the power of the name of Jesus Christ. Be blessed

Abiding in God prayer

Dear Lord, I abide in you. Let your presence abide in me each and every day. Teach me your ways that I may walk in them. I take refuge in you. Under your wings I abide. You are my strength, my help, and my fortress. Without you, I am nothing. Fill me with your sweet presence, because in you I am safe and loved. Hide me in your secret place and protect me from harm. Lord revive me according to your Word. Please forgive me for ignoring your voice and letting fear get in the way of abiding in you. Cleanse me and set me free. I have realized that I can do nothing without you. I trust you with my life today and with everything. Open my spiritual ears to hear your voice with clarity and strengthen my convictions to obey as I yield to you today. I abide in you, Lord. Use my life for your glory in Jesus name I pray

…. Amen….

~~~~Meditation Notes~~~~

CHAPTER 3

ALONE WITH GOD

Alone with God means to be away in a particular quiet place with God where there are no distractions or absent from others and anything that would distract you from being in His presence. It’s a place of stillness, reflection, and discovering who you are in God. The Bible says, “They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and serve me as guards” (Ezekiel 44:16).

The Father bids us to come into His presence and spend time alone with Him.

When have you ever spent quiet time with God? God wants you to come into His presence and spend time alone with Him. This should be a daily commitment and not just something you do in a church service on Sunday. We should spend time with Him in our homes. Find a private place for just Him and you and spend time worshiping, loving, adoring, and blessing Him, because He deserves all of our praise.

Spending time alone with God enables you to be sensitive to hear the voice of God just like Samuel and David did. God can do for you what He did for them. Seeking God is a choice you have to make on your own. It’s not forced. God has already made the invitation available for you, and He’s inviting you into His presence to dwell with Him.

When you are standing before God, nothing else matters. It’s just you and Him in love with each other. The time has come where the body of Christ has to set aside everything that has been hindering them from entering His throne room and being alone with God.

The body of Christ has been having an identity crisis for quite a while. It’s because we have not taken the time to know our Maker, Creator, and our Savior God, who has sacrificed everything for us, because He loves us so much. As Christians, we have made the mistake of coming to God only when it’s convenient for us and satisfies our own selfish desires.

That’s why we have ended up frustrated, unhappy, bitter, and living unfulfilled lives because we have sort God to fulfill our fleshly desires with a selfish motive, that's why we have stayed in the same situation over and over and have not gotten our breakthrough because we have forgotten to see God for who He is.

We have kept Him out of our churches, homes, finances and we have put things first before God. Things lead to destruction and seeking God leads to peace, fulfillment, and freedom. You need to seek Him and Him alone.

Being alone with God in His presence is where you belong so He can fill you up with living water that never runs dry, true intimacy, and the true agape love. In Him, you discover your true identity.

The world may have labeled you with negative words (a false identity) to kill your greatness, but in God you are a child of the King of kings and Lord of Lords. You’re blessed, anointed, beautifully and wonderfully made, secure, healed, sanctified, extraordinary, and there is nothing missing and nothing broken in your life. You are a prince or a princess in the Kingdom.

So don’t give up on you, because God has never given up on you. Spend time alone with Him and you will discover who you are in God, not what the world and the devil thinks you are. You are special. God knew you even before you were in your mother’s womb and called you blessed. Seek Him alone, away from the distractions of the world, and you will find Him.

Every time I have been alone with God, He has whispered His love to my heart and told me who I really am. Even when the world was trying to label me with their own identity, God told me, He knew me even before I was in my mother’s womb and He knows me now more than anyone. The world may look at you on the outside and judge you, but God looks into our heart. And He is so proud of you because you were created in His image and He loves and longs to dwell with you always.

I had to abide in God to know who I am. So don’t let what people think about you change your perception and who God says you are, He chose you and created you for His purpose, you are special to Him. So seek Him alone because in Him you will discover your true self.

Many times, when we don’t know who we are, we are misled to think bad things about ourselves, or we except every negative thing that people have called us. This leads to low self-esteem and having no confidence, so you try so hard to seek man’s approval and not God’s, and you end up being hurt and not accepted most of the time. This causes confusion, bitterness, selfishness, and fear. You become so resentful, doubtful, and you cannot trust people.

This identity crisis normally happens because you don’t know who you are, and you have let people’s opinions affect your perception of who you are. When you have been living outside of God’s will, your flesh takes over your will, emotions, and decisions, and they lead you astray. When you are in God’s will, you live your life by the spirit of God. In other words, you live from the inside out instead of from the outside in. What happens on the outside doesn’t determine or affect who you are on the inside.

So when you don’t spend alone time with God, you will always have an identity crisis because you are not sensitive to the Holy Spirit of God. Seek God always, and you will be on a journey of discovering who you are, and you will be blessed.

We can only find out who we are by desperately seeking His face. Because He created us in His own image, and He knows all about us, our identity is in Him. He wants us to live in Him, and He will live in us. But that just won’t happen if we do nothing. We have to invest quality time with our loving God, and know who He is.

What Happens When We Are Alone in the presence of God?

        We often receive the Word of the Lord when we are alone with God. Whenever we spend time with the Lord, He speaks His Words of wisdom to us and gives us a greater revelation of His Word.

        We receive God’s love, mercy, and grace when we spend time alone with Him. The presence of His love fills the very essence of our being. His love forever surrounds us when we make daily fellowship with Him our lifestyle.

        Our relationship with God matures, and we are more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and everything that concerns our Father God. His Holy Spirit comforts us and directs us, and we are more aware of good and evil. He helps us make good decisions in Jesus’ name.

        In God’s presence, we get direction for life and the future. When trouble shows up, all we have to do is to draw close to God, and He will reveal to us what we don’t know and keep us away from harm. So instead of falling into depression, let’s follow Jesus’ example:  “When Jesus heard what had happened, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed Him on foot from the towns” (See Mathew 14:13)

        What would you do if the most precious things in your life were taken away? As a believer you need to hide under the shadow of the almighty God because in His presence you are protected, and He will comfort you through any hurt and pain and restore everything the Devil had stolen from you.

        I know it’s hard and it hurts right now. Know this one thing: Jesus hurts when you hurt. When He was on the earth and something happened that was out of His control, He always went to a secret place to pray to His Father God. He was hurting when His friend John the Baptist was killed. He didn’t complain. Why? He decided to go away to a solitude place to privately seek refuge in God.

        God is calling you to His rest. Run to Him no matter what hurt you’re facing. God wants to spend alone time with you so He can love, heal, restore, comfort, and free you, and make you whole in every area. Remember, He is the bread of life.

        When you seek God, you will give birth to purpose, destiny, and all the gifts that God has placed inside of you, and travail prayer is also birthed within you. God has to strip away everything that is not His and restore you and make you new. Because when you are one with the Lord the Holy Spirit prays through you and reveals to you the secrets of the Kingdom of God.

        The spirit of prayer is birthed when you seek God. Daily communion with God produces spiritual results. (See Mark 1:35) -Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed, (See Luke 5:16 ) -But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Jesus was a prayer warrior. He spent a lot of alone time with God.

        Travail prayer is born out of being in solitude with God. Travail means to birth. God wants you to be pregnant in the spirit realm with Him, His Word, His plan, and His purpose and give birth to these things so that they manifest in the physical realm.

        In ministry, we are sometimes faced with obstacles and struggles that hinder us from balancing ministry and our own solitude with God. We need to put God first before our own agendas and priorities. “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place (See Mark 6:30-32).

        Many times, as the body of Christ we suffer from loneliness and rejection mostly caused by circumstantial difficulties like widowhood, childlessness, death of a loved one, poverty, illness, and these things greatly affect our relationship with God. We have allowed these things to completely consume us, so that we have not put God in the first place and surrendered our all to Him.

        Always remember, the more the flesh operates in you, the less you are going to draw close to God. Empty yourself today of all flesh, anything that has hindered your access to heaven, and submit under the mighty hand of God, and He will fill you up with His presence. Seek God continually until His kingdom reigns inside you. Alone in His presence is where you belong



Alone with God Prayer

Dear Lord,

I just want to be in your presence, feasting at your table, surrounded by your glory. I am nothing without you. Alone with you is where I want to be, experiencing more of your love, your kindness, your mercy, your grace, gazing at your beauty, and being filled with more of you. You are holy and worthy to be praised. Teach me your ways, empty me of all flesh, and fill me with your Spirit. I need you, Lord, to fill me and deliver me from all prideful ways like selfishness, busy agendas that keep me from you, confusion, and doubt, and forgive me for not spending time with you. I have realized that I am lost and nothing without you. Fill me with your Spirit and cause me to seek your face without ceasing. Make me humble and obedient to your will and Word. Draw me close to you so that I can be focused on you and only you, Jesus. You are all I need. Make me new today, purified, sanctified, restored, and made whole in Jesus’ name

…. Amen ….

~~~~Meditation Notes~~~~

CHAPTER 4

SECURITY

Security is great assurance and total trust in God, dependency on God, and a confident realization that God will always take care of you and be there for you. The Bible Says, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done what I have promised you” (See Genesis 28:15).

If our security is based on our circumstances, in people, in ourselves, in wealth, or in relationships, our security is fragile. But David repeats Himself—we do not find security in anything but God and God alone. Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge (See Psalms 62:5-8).

Our Security is in God alone. David says whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” (See Psalms 91:1-2).

God’s dwelling place is our security. It is a place to draw close to God and be intimately touched by His love. And under the shadow of His wings, you will find strength and protection from harm.

God is our refuge and our place of safety. No foe can ever reach us there if we continually rest in His presence with our heart focused on Him alone. God is your rescuing knight and when you are in trouble He is your fortress, a place to do battle from. You will always be victorious in God.

In God, we are protected from the unknown things that happen all around us. Because God cares for you, you shouldn’t be afraid, no matter what you are going through, because His angels are shielding and protecting you. Always trust in God’s security.

God is our strong tower: the righteous run into it, and they are safe. So come into God’s dwelling place, and rest in Him, because He is ever present to guard and protect you from your enemies.

God’s security is a mighty encampment that nothing can pierce through it. He has put a mighty wall of fire around those that trust Him, and He always delivers them. In order for that to happen, we have to dwell in God, trust Him with our lives, and know that He is going to take care of us.

Many times we are faced with feelings of insecurity, feelings that we are not good enough and can’t measure up. We compare ourselves to others, because we are not sure about who we are. This normally happens when we have not realized our identity is in God.

God is your security. In Him, you are beautiful, loved, and protected. You can only discover your true identity when you fully know who God truly is.  He doesn’t judge you; He formed you perfectly in His own image. He is proud of you, He is your Father, your best friend, so if you are facing an emotional crisis or insecurities in your life that have been caused by past files. Cast all your cares upon God and He will sustain you, He will never let the righteous be shaken (See Psalms 55:22).

God is our security, He is steadfast, stable, unmoving, He is our salvation we have to trust Him and be safe.

Many times our security has been attacked when we have put our trust in things, our surroundings, and what we do for example, our jobs, marriages, finances, houses, cars, and material things and we have forgotten that all  these things are nothing and don’t bring you security without God. Things change and perish, but God’s security never changes. It’s present today, tomorrow, and forever. David said that those who guard the city without God do it in vain (See Psalms 127:1)

So, if you are facing this predicament, and you have made the mistake of basing your security on your circumstances, people, yourself, wealth, and relationships, your security is fragile and can easily be destroyed any time. Trust God with your possessions, your life, your destiny and everything you have and He will always protect you from the hands of the enemy. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you (See Psalms 91:7).

When all hell breaks loose in your life run into Jesus' arms let Him protect you. He said He will never leave you nor forsake you. Rely on Him when the going gets tough or when everything in your life has been destroyed because God restores all things to the glory of His name. God has sent forth His angels to protect you always. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent (see Psalms 91:11-13).

He is still our rock, our salvation, our fortress, and our refuge. Like a fortress, we can run to the Lord for safety when we feel threatened. David reminded us that God is our fortress and that we can trust Him because He knows our feelings, pain, hopes, and desires ( See Psalms 46:1).

So when you are faced with impossibilities and challenging situations trust in Him always and He will make you whole. Remember, you are secure in Him, because if God is for you, who can be against you? Nobody!

You might have questions like, “Why should I trust God as my security?”  It’s simple. God is God. He created all things. Your existence is because of Him. He is your security. Without Him, you are nothing.

So trust Him because of His power, His love, His goodness, His mercy, His justice, His fulfilled prophecies, His faithfulness, and His grace. He is all-knowing, and above all, He’s got your back no matter what. He will always be there for you.

There is no place on earth we can be safe except in His presence. Trust His security above all things, and He will never let harm come near your dwelling.

We need to constantly abide and have our security and dependency on God, because the devil is a roaring lion looking for whom he may devour. The enemy is always looking for a weaker vessel. When we are not dwelling in God’s presence, we are vulnerable to the enemy’s tactics and plots against us.

As a young girl, I remember losing my dad at a very young age that really affected my security and self-esteem growing up. I longed to feel safe but as I continued to dwell in God’s word and meditate on it day and night I found out that my security was in God and that he is all that I ever needed and also I will never forget what my mother told me and my siblings.

She said:” Your dad is gone now, but there is a dad that is greater than all dads, and that is Jesus Christ. He is your dad now, and whatever you need He will provide. He is your security in every area of your life. Rely and depend on Him alone. No matter where life leads you, or any difficulties you may face, never forget that God is always with you to protect you and keep you away from harm.”

That alone changed my life forever. I decided not to rely on my own strength but on God’s, and trust that He was going to take care of me and my family. So no matter what difficulties I face in life, I always run to God, because in Him I have found great security. He has proved to be faithful to me time and time again, and I depend on Him for everything. He is my fortress, my refuge, and my strength. In Him, I am secure. You can be secure also by trusting and depending on Him. . The word of God says, “He is A Father to the fatherless and defender of widows is God in His Holy dwelling” (See Psalms 68:5)

I allowed myself to be vulnerable with God, and I exposed my fears, doubts, weaknesses, hurts, disappointments, dreams, and desires to God and invited Him into my heart. I decided to dwell in Him. I always feel Him, and He lets me know how much He loves me, and I am confident and secure in His love. So open your heart. Jesus is here for you, because He loves you unconditionally.

One thing I have discovered is whenever we do not dwell in God’s presence and spend time with Him, we become insecure because we are living outside the will of God. Each time we spend in His presence, we are secure and confident in Him. I can testify to this because I have experienced it and still do. Whenever I spend time with God, I am more secure, alive, and protected in H

How is Security in God Obtained?

Security in God is obtained through the Word of God. Meditate on His Word, chew it and feed on it daily, and your security in God will be strengthened. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (See John 1:1-5).

Daily pray and communicate with God. Stay and dwell in God’s presence always. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (See Philippians 4:6-7).

Trust in God’s promises and believe that what He promised will come to pass, because He is not a man that lies. God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill? (See Numbers 23:19)

Be consistently obedient to God’s commands and faithfully do what God tells you to do without complaining in your heart. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever (See 1 Corinthians 9:25).

We obtain God’s power and protection through humility and yielding to God. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up (See James 4:10).

We obtain security through the blood of Jesus. The goal is to plead the blood of Jesus on your life, family, marriage, Home, in every area of your life, so that you will be protected before any kind of adversity could ever come your way. “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom of the son he loves” (See Colossians 1:13)

We become secure by putting our faith and dependency on Him alone, and not being afraid, because fear is from Satan, but faith is from God. By having faith, you will obtain God’s protection. Fear not: for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…” (See Isaiah 43:1-3)

God is our security. He is always watching over us in the heat of the battle. You know that you can pick up God’s armor and stand boldly in the face of battle, because Jesus, the captain of the hosts of heaven and commander in-chief stands in front of you, under the shadow of the Almighty. God promises to always keep you.

When you trust and rely on Him, dwell in Him, and abide in His strength (not your own) and He will direct your path. The Bible says, “In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight” (See Proverbs 3:6).

The enemy can take his best shot at you, but he won’t succeed, because God is on your side. That doesn’t mean you will not have tests and trials, or that the devil will automatically leave you alone, because you dwell in God. It really means the opposite. The enemy’s purpose is to keep you defeated, downtrodden, depressed, financially frantic, heartbroken, and sick, and he will do anything to keep you from trusting and dwelling God. He wants you to give up when things get rough.

But God promised to always keep you in all your ways and to give you the mind of Christ, not the spirit of fear. You need to not give up and not give in. put on the armor of God and fight a good fight of faith ( See Ephesians 6:13).

So take time to choose life rather than death, peace rather than frustration, and joy rather than sadness. I urge you to dwell in the secret place of the most high, and take refuge in Him. Trust in God's security. When you call Him, He will answer you. He will show you His salvation, and He will deliver and protect you always.

Security Prayer

Dear God, you're my refuge. I trust in you, and I'm safe!

You rescue me from hidden traps and shield me from all danger. Your huge, outstretched arms protect me, under them I am perfectly safe your arms fend off all harm. I fear nothing not even wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, not disease  or sickness and  calamity that prowl through the darkness, and no disaster that erupts at high noon can come near my dwelling because my security and trust is in you my Lord. Even though my enemies succumb all around me, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze me. I will stand untouched, watching it all from a distance. Because God is my refuge and security He is also my very own home. Evil can't get close to me; harm and pain can't get through the door. You have ordered your angels to guard me wherever I go. If I stumble, they will catch me; their job is to keep me from falling. I will walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and I will walk through any storm, valley and sea of life and will come out victorious because you my great love and father God is watching over me. In you I am safe complete and protected from the path of Darkness. You knew me before I was in my mother’s womb; you know my every thought, action and everything about. Me, without you I am empty... I trust you with my life and I surrender my all to you. You are my security

In Jesus Name I pray

…. Amen ….

~~~~Meditation Notes~~~~

CHAPTER 5

PURIFIED IN GOD

Purity in God simply means cleansing, freedom from foulness, guilt, or defilement of sin, or lacking the knowledge of evil, and being only filled with goodness. The bible says, Dear friends, now we are children of God and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies Himself, just as He is pure (See1 John 3:2-3).

God is pure, so He calls us to be purified in Him. This requires us to come to His throne with pure hearts, so that we can be cleansed by Him. We are to have fellowship with God with pure and holy hearts that have no deceit. God does not dwell in impure and unholy hearts, because He is pure and holy, and there is no sin in Him.

Jesus Christ became sin for us by dying on the cross for us and saving us from all our wicked ways. He purified us and made us whole and holy by cleansing us with the power of His blood. He died so that we could be purified only in Him. In order for this cleansing and purity to be active in your life, you have to acknowledge Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. He is the one who sacrificed His only life for you so that you could be purified and be made completely whole in Him.

Jesus Christ is our picture and author of purity. He is the only one who is totally pure, totally perfect, and holy without blemish.  "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth” (See Peter 2:22)

Only someone totally pure can show us the difference between purity and impurity. Jesus Christ set the standard. He is the only Man to ever live totally pure, totally perfect life. We can compare our life to His and get a good picture of where we stand in regard to purity. Jesus is the one true definition of purity. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (See 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Purity must involve the whole person. You cannot be half pure. Purity must be a complete lifestyle that you live on a daily basis. Whether you are with your friends, husband or wife, family, or alone, a pure lifestyle is consistent no matter who else is around you. It is being blameless in every area of your life. That’s so difficult! But it’s something to work towards and cultivate and pray for help to become pure in God.

For the Christian, it’s our destiny and goal to become more like Jesus. Allow Him to purify you. The moment we see Jesus Christ face to face, we will be like Him—totally pure and perfected. Only Jesus can purify us by the power of His cleansing blood that He shed for us on Calvary.

Unfortunately, sin has come into our world and contaminated that which was “pure” from the foundations of the earth. So now we must pursue, even harder, the original way we were created to live—a pure life in relationship with God. Because of the fall of man, when Adam and Eve sinned, God sacrificed His only begotten son to redeem us from the curse of sin. Let us pursue Jesus Christ and surrender our all to Him, and He will cleanse and purify us. In Him, we are purified.

What’s the importance of the Blood of Jesus?

        The blood of Jesus is the foundation of redemption. Redemption means that something that got lost has been recovered by a special cost. It helps us to understand what it cost Him to get this salvation for us. He is Christ our Redeemer. Whenever we say redeemer we remember the cross and the sacrifice Jesus Christ offered for our freedom.

        For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect ( See 1 Peter 1:18-19).

        The blood of Jesus purifies us from anything that hinders us from becoming what He has called us to be. His blood is very powerful. God has called us to abide in Him so that we can be purified and cleansed mind, body, and soul.

        The blood of Jesus gives us access to the presence of God. We can enter into God’s presence and fellowship with Him by believing and accepting His sacrifice. For it’s only the blood of Jesus that makes atonement and brings us into the presence of God.

        Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water ( See Hebrews 10:19-22 )

        The blood of Jesus protects us in God’s presence. His blood draws us closer and closer to God’s presence because in Him we are purified and protected from sin, and we are made holy by the power of His blood, and we are made holy, as He is holy.

        So whenever your feelings are disturbed, or you have an emotional crisis where all your thoughts are negative, and you can’t find peace within, and all your actions are not aligning with God’s word, take all your troubles to Jesus and let His blood cleanse you and make you whole.

        The blood of Jesus helps us overcome evil. At the mention of the blood of Jesus, no evil can come near or harm you because you are wrapped and overshadowed by the power of His blood. When you sense evil hovering over you, plead the blood of Jesus over yourself, and it will not touch you in His name.

        Through His blood, He has reconciled us to God and harmonized our relationship with the Father. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (See John 1:14)

        In His blood, we are justified. To be justified means to be declared righteous by God. Since we have now been justified by the blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him (See Romans 5:9)

        Jesus died for us so that we could be made the righteousness of God; through the power of His blood, we have been justified.

        Through His blood, we are sanctified. Sanctified means to be made or declared or believed to be holy. We are made pure and holy through the power of His blood. The Bible says, “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood” (See Hebrews 13:12).  By which we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (See Hebrews 10:10).

        In the blood of Jesus, we are forgiven and cleansed from our sins.  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace (See Ephesians 1:7).

        Without the blood of Jesus, we would die in sin, but it’s only by His blood that we have found mercy, grace, and the forgiveness of sin. So if you live in sin, and don’t know how to be free, call on the blood of Jesus. It will cleanse you and wash away your sins because Jesus Christ bore your sin. "Without the shedding of Blood, there is no forgiveness" (See Hebrews 9:22)

        In the Old Testament, a sacrifice of an unblemished lamb was required to satisfy God's wrath. Jesus, the sinless Son of God, died on the cross and became the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Jesus bought forgiveness when He died on the cross.

        The blood of Jesus casts out fear, depression, and demons. It frees us from Satan and places us in the kingdom of God: "He has delivered you from the power of darkness and conveyed you into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom you have redemption through His blood.  So any force of darkness that may rise up against you won’t prevail, because the blood of Jesus covers you.

        The blood of Jesus removes the curse of death and causes us to submit to God. When we submit to the power of the blood, no death, curse, or any tactics of the enemy will have any hold over you. Because in His blood, you have been purified and set free. "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and He will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." (See James 4:7-8)

        The blood of Jesus is like anointing oil that heals us and works miracles. In Him we will find healing from sickness, disease, depression, fear, anxiety, and death. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities: the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him; and by His wounds we are healed. (See Isaiah 53:5)

Purity in His Presence

The more we draw close to God, the more we are purified. We should stop seeing purity through man’s perspective; we have to see it through God’s eyes, because He does not consider our past and our failures. When the world judges and condemns us, God loves us through the power of His great sacrifice, Jesus Christ. We are purified from all that we have done when we come boldly into His presence and ask for forgiveness.

You know man looks on the outside, but God looks inside your heart. When you ask Him to purify you and change you from all your fleshy ways, He will do it. Even when you don’t see the evidence right away, always remember change is a process; so don’t give up when you fall. Get back up again and continue to seek God, because He's doing something inside of you and it will be evident on the outside. Don’t give into pressure and what the world and friends are talking about regarding your life’s process.

Trust in God and His cleansing blood to purify you. Abide in His presence, and you will be restored in every area of your life. When God purifies you, He doesn’t leave any stone unturned. He makes the very best out of you with His pure love, trust Him with your life and you will never be the same again, He will turn your mess into ministry to the Glory of His great name.

We are not perfect. That’s why we need Christ to purify us. Direct your faith and rest on God as your righteousness and perfection and not on yourself. Let the Word of God deliver you from all unbelief, and enjoy freedom in Him.

Purify yourself by directing your heart away from trusting your performance as your reason to feel righteous enough before God. Give thanks, praise, and worship to God and direct your heart away from self; submit in obedience to God. Trust Him for your provision, purpose, and plan. Trust His purification by drawing near to Him with confidence, without any doubts or hesitations, and believe you’re already purified. Because He did that for you 2000 years ago, it’s already done in Jesus’ name.

Purity becomes practical when we meet the need for the presence of God. The more you draw near and quench your thirst with God, the more you experience Him, and the more He will purify and purge you clean with His blood. So stay in His holy place and drink more of Him and rest in His presence.

Purity is continually training your heart about being close to God. Humble yourself, trust the presence of God, and let Him cleanse your body, mind, and heart for His glory. Now run into the presence of the Lord, and the insecurities that lead to impurities and fleshly desires won’t be an issue anymore, because you will have more of God’s spirit in you. Jesus loves you so much, and He wants to set you free from anything that has held you back from experiencing true happiness. He is the purifier of your soul.

Purified in God Prayer

In the name of Jesus, I am now willing to place my body, my soul, my spirit, and my entire life into your hands. I now ask that you place me in your perfect will for my life. Lord, from this moment on, I will choose to stay fully surrendered to you all the days of my life. I will allow you to lead and direct my life in the direction that you want it to go in. Purify all of me and make me holy, for you are holy. I now come before you to fully confess my sins of (name each of your sins). I fully admit that what did was wrong and sinful in your sight. Father, in Jesus’ name, I now ask that you please forgive me and wash away all of my sins by the blood that Your Son Jesus has personally shed for me on the cross. I also ask, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that you empower me not to do any of these specific sins ever again. I now plead the blood of Jesus over every inch of my physical body, over every inch my soul, and over every inch of my spirit. I now plead the blood of Jesus against any demons that may try and come against my family and me. I now plead the blood of Jesus against any bad and evil people who may try and come against my family and me. I now plead the blood of Jesus against any natural accidents or catastrophes that may come against me, my family, and my finances. I now plead the blood of Jesus against any diseases, viruses, or illnesses that could possibly come against me. Purify and wash me clean with the power of your blood, so that I can be made whole in you. In Jesus’ name, I pray.

…. Amen….

~~~~Meditation Notes~~~~

CHAPTER 6

INTIMACY WITH GOD

Intimacy means your heart is one with God; it’s a closeness, familiarity, warmth, and affection. To have an intimate relationship with God means that the deepest part of you is having a relationship with the deepest part of God. Of course, we cannot fathom the deepest part of God, but He comes to our level and reveals a part of Himself that only the Christian who has accepted Him can enjoy His intimate love that He has provided so freely-by Matt Slick The Bible Says, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment (See Matthew 22:37).

God wants to be intimate with you. He longs to have a close relationship with you. More than anything, He wants you to have an intimate love relationship and friendship with Him. God wants you to spend time with Him, to intimately communicate with Him, to enjoy fellowship with Him, to trust and follow Him, so that He can give your life meaning and purpose.

God created each of us with a longing for intimacy with Him. We need Him, and He desires us. It takes two to have an intimate relationship. As much as we need God, He desires to have a relationship with us. That’s why God sent His son to redeem us after Adam and Eve fell in the Garden. God loved us so much, He did want to lose us; He did not want to see us perish.

From the beginning of time, He was a God of relationship, which is why He created man in His own image (likeness), so He could fellowship with him and have an intimate relationship with him.

God wants to share His heart with you. He has great love for you, your dreams and visions, and blessings for you because He loves you unconditionally. He says, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans  to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. (See Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Intimacy with God is when your heart is in total submission to God’s heart. It’s that feeling of desire and total trust in God’s love for you and your willingness to surrender yourself to Him by resting in His arms of love and not letting anything or the enemy stand in the way of your intimacy with Him. God longs to lavish you with the best of Himself. Allow Him in your heart, and let Him transform you inside and out.

Let us look at it this way. When you are in a relationship with someone, in this case your husband or wife, you do everything to please him or her, you trust him or her, and you invest time in him or her. In order for a relationship to grow, you have to invest time in it by communicating daily with the one you love and loving him or her without any motivation. Your love is real and true; it’s not selfish. It’s sacrificial.

It’s like when you desire to feel the touch of your loved one. That’s how much more God desires us. He wants to wrap His hands around us, so we can feel loved and protected and cared for. So you have to invest and dedicate your time to Him. The more time you spend with God, the more intimacy you will experience with Him, because relationships evolve, mature, and grow.

It all depends on how much you desire and long for God’s presence. Not only did God create us to crave intimacy with our spouses, He also created us to have just as strong a desire for intimacy with Him. You will never achieve intimacy with your mate to the level God intended if each of you doesn’t also strive for intimacy with Him.

Intimacy develops as a result of close contact with someone over a period of time. Trust is built, confidence grows, and hearts change, becoming endeared or entwined with one another. God wants to become one with us. That’s why God has given us the Holy Spirit, so we can connect with Him in Spirit.

The Bible Says, But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in Him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words ( See 1 Corinthians 2:10-13 ).

True intimacy is the trinity, the three persons of God: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Therefore, our intimacy with God is ultimately a reflection of God’s intimacy within the members of the godhead.

Intimacy is an essential part of the very nature of God; we are made in His likeness. That’s why we are capable of intimacy with others and with God. Come ye near unto me and listen to this; I have not spoken in secret; at the time it happens, I am there: and now the Sovereign Lord has sent me, with his spirit (See Isaiah 48:16).

Our intimacy first started in the Garden of Eden when God walked with man. Intimacy is something God desired. As we know, Adam sinned, and intimacy with God was lost. But God had a plan, and He covered Adam and Eve with animal skins. In order to make their clothes, He shed blood so that the fellowship with mankind could be restored. This was realized at the cross when Jesus became sin on our behalf, for there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus (See 1 Timothy 2:5).

Since Jesus is God in flesh, our mediator, the intimacy we have with God is with Christ. We are called into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ. I think the secret to true intimacy with God is humility, because Christ was humble to the point of death. We too must be humble to the point of dying to ourselves, our selfish desires, and be one with Him in spirit.

Our purpose should be to glorify and love Him. Pride is self-seeking. Intimacy seeks another in the deepest sense. How can we have intimacy with God if we are proud?

Intimacy with God is a privilege freely given to us by Christ through His sacrifice on the cross. He removed our sins so that we may dwell with Him. Therefore, if there is sin in your life, it will hinder your fellowship and intimacy with God. Ask Jesus to reveal your sins to you so that you might repent of them and not hinder the intimacy that God so lovingly desires to have with you.

Have you ever been in a spiritual desert? , Have you ever been through a wilderness experience where it was so dry that you were thirsty for the presence of God? Usually when we are going through a dry season, God calls us into intimacy with Him because He wants to quench the thirst in our lives. So if life is not going well for you, spend time with God and let Him overshadow you with His intimacy, because His heart’s desire is to love you.

We have to cultivate our relationship with God; the more we are in His presence, the more we are alert to His ways.

I have realized my life is empty without Jesus. I have discovered that when I was not intimate with God, or spending a lot of time in His presence, I have been self-centered and easily irritated. My cup was empty. I was acting out in the flesh instead of in the Spirit, and I needed God to fill me up with His love, and that only happens when you spend time daily in His presence.

I long to be in His presence, because in Him I find peace, joy, rest, love, and intimacy. I am blessed in Him, and you can be too. Spend quality time with your Father God, because He is waiting for you.

How desperate are you for God’s love? Long for Him day and night, and He will mature you into His likeness.

Intimacy is about holding God so close to your heart that you don’t want to let go. The Bible says, but you are to hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now (See Joshua 23:8).

When you hunger for God, you produce a lot of spiritual fruit like purity, faith, the anointing, and intimacy. When everything is going great, we sometimes forget God. Remember, God gave you everything you have, so seek and praise Him in season and out of season.

Choose to be lost in God’s love and abide in His intimate presence and His spirit will dwell with you forever. In Jesus name Amen.

Intimacy with God Prayer

Dear Lord, here I am in the place of worship, with my eyes open, drinking in your strength and glory. In your generous love, I am really living at last! My lips are brimming with praises like fountains. I bless you every time I take a breath; my arms wave like banners of praise to you (See Psalms 63:1). Lord, I come to you as a child who is created in your likeness. Help me understand the true meaning of your intimacy so I can love you and grow in your daily. I come before you, clothing myself with garments of praise and salvation, knowing that whatever obstacles that may lie in my path will be removed by you, my love. Father God, I recognize your call and listen to your voice this day. As you draw me in your presence, I desire you to teach me more about your ways. I am amazed at how your Holy Spirit works in drawing me close to you. The intimacy you desire to share with me continues to astonish me, yet every fiber of my being craves intimacy with you, Jesus. Lord, forgive and cleanse all the sin in my life that has hindered my intimacy with you. I come slowly, trembling at your feet. Lord, draw me near to you and fill me with your Spirit, so that I may daily dwell intimately in your presence. In Jesus’ name I pray.

….Amen….

~~~~Meditation Notes~~~~

CHAPTER 7

MY EVERYTHING

When God is everything; He is your all in all. He is your helper, refuge, strength, the very air you breathe, provider, protector, comforter, redeemer, lover, and closest friend. He’s our hope for tomorrow, our joy in times of sorrow, our shelter from the storm, You're a rock in a weary land, our great physician and healer, the great lawyer that solves all our problems (cases), and our burden bearer., He is our everything.

When God is everything to you, you’re never afraid. You may go through trials, but should your world fall apart, do not lose hope. Be encouraged, because the Lord of hosts is with you all the way to supply anything and everything that you need. His arms are open wide to help you through any of life’s changes. He will never let you fall, because He loves you very much. He is all you could ever want. God is above all things. God is everything in ages past and our hope for years to come.

The Bible says “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts His voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress (See Psalms 46:1-7).

Growing up as a young child, life did not always hand me roses. Through everything, my family and I looked to God as our source, and we learned how to depend on God for everything. We didn’t always have everything we needed, but we trusted God and stood on His Word that He would supply our needs according to His riches and glory. I can testify that He has been true and faithful to His promises; indeed, God has provided everything in every area of our lives. We always stood on His word it says, “And my God shall supply your needs according to His riches of His glory in Christ Jesus” (see Philippians 4:19).

The secret is to trust and believe in His power and providence. He is your source, and He will supply your heart’s desire. Seek Him and you shall receive every blessing.  “But Seek His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”(See Mathew 6:33)

God's love and mercy never cease to amaze me. He is everything to me. There are times when I have been challenged when the devil would provoke me and he would say to me if God is your everything then why are you going through trials and tribulations?, why are you lacking? You have prayed no answer. How many of you are struggling with the same lies from the devil (Satan)?

Let me tell you this: the devil is the Father of lies. He will always use the Word of God against you to benefit his purpose and his will against your life. Remember, the devil came to steal, kill, and destroy, but God came to give abundant life. Satan is the greatest deceiver of the brethren. You can always overcome Him with the Word of God by renewing your mind daily.

The devil is after your mind. He knows that if He attacks your mind, He will thwart your destiny and you won’t become who God has created you to be. I knew that the devil was after my mind and was attacking my faith and trust in God, but greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world. I knew my God is truth, and I stood on His Word. God’s Word is powerful and it casts away fear and destroys the enemy’s tactics. Through the years, God has proven and fulfilled His promises to me. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is everything to me. He can be everything in your life too. Trust Him and live. His Word is truth and powerful.

For the Bible says, “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (See Hebrews 4:12)

Nothing should ever change your trust towards God. No matter what may come your way, be it hell or high water; stand on His Word and His promises, because they are yes and amen. God is God. If He said it, He will do it.

Abraham trusted God so much that He followed God without knowing where his path would lead. Also, He trusted God to do what seemed to be impossible. God promised Abraham: “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Through the birth of Christ, who was a direct descendant of Abraham through Isaac, Jacob, and Judah, God fulfilled this promise as well. In this way, Abraham’s “seed” has indeed blessed all the nations of the earth!

Also, let’s look at the story of Sarah and Abraham. Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him (See Genesis 21:1-2). The Bible tells us, God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (See Numbers 23:19)

God is everything to us. He is the Alpha and the Omega. When Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac, God tested Abraham to see whether he trusted Him as his source and the giver of all things and life (see Genesis 22:1-14). Abraham trusted God. He never questioned God’s motives about the situation.

Abraham just trusted God and he was rewarded. When Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, God intercepted and provided the lamb sacrifice. We learn that trust leads to everything, and everything we need leads to God.

Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac on an altar at the top of a desolate mountain in the land of Moriah. He called the place “The Lord will provide,” (see Genesis 22:13-14) which in Hebrew is YHWH-JIREH and means to see and provide in advance or before the need is known. God is preparing answers for your needs before you know what your needs are.

In His Word, He says that he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. Whom do you trust to meet all of your needs? Are you putting your trust in silver or gold, your wealth, and material things? Putting your trust in earthly treasures leads to destruction.

Things will come and go, but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He will always supply your needs. It doesn’t matter what season you are in be it drought, famine, recession, or foreclosure in a season of lack or plenty, God will fill your house and life with His blessings. Heaven is never in a recession. God is the creator of all things, and all things exist because of Him.

So don’t put your trust in people or things that will be gone tomorrow. Put your trust in God for He is everything. He is all knowing, and He is ever present from everlasting to everlasting.

The more you seek Him, the more you shall find Him. He will reveal to you everything that you need to know to lead your life in the right direction. God will never lead you astray. He will always guide you through any storm. Call His name, and He will always be right on time to save you. Remember, His ways are higher than your ways, and His thoughts are higher than your thoughts. He knows your requests before you ask, but He wants you to come to Him and trust Him, because He is your Abba Father.

I pray that you trust the one true God and not man. Seasons come and go, but God’s love, provision, safety, forgiveness, mercy, and grace are always there for you.

What are you holding on to that God has told you to sacrifice and let go just like He told Abraham to? What are you holding on to that causes you to hold back and resist God’s provision and not trust Him with it? Could it be you have been holding yourself in bondage? Could it be that you have stood in the way of your own miracle and breakthrough?

You have to realize that God is your El-Shaddai, your all-sufficient one. Anything you need, He’s got it. So when you are down and going through a challenge abide in His presence and rest, and put your complete trust in Him. He will supply your every need. God is everything to us. Believe and receive it and enjoy the fruits of the kingdom.

My Everything Prayer

Dear Lord, you are My everything. You are the song that I sing; you are the air I breathe. In you, I put my trust, Jehovah Jireh, my provider. Teach me how to believe, trust, and have faith in you alone. Jesus, you are everything to me. Without you I am nothing. I’m complete with you by my side, Lord Jesus. I invite you to come and live and rest in my heart, so I can be more like you. Teach me how to trust you with everything within me, no matter what I’m going through, in good times and bad times, when I’m happy or sad, and even when I have nothing. Father, in you I live and have my being. I surrender my family, job, marriage, business, and everything I am; use it all for your glory. Let your consuming presence fill me each day so that I trust and depend on you for everything, because you are the God of all things, and all things are in you. Today, I stand on your Word that you shall supply all my needs according to your riches in glory.

In Jesus’ name, I pray

….Amen….

~~~~Meditation Notes~~~~

CHAPTER 8

WORSHIP

Worship to me means laying bare the secrets of my heart in total surrender to God, by offering Him my very best with no reservations. You do this in your heart, soul, mind, body, in Spirit and in truth. Worship is also the art of freely giving love to God. It means sacrificially giving God the worthy recognition that He deserves. The Bible Says "God is a Spirit and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (See John 4:24)

When we worship God, we are inviting Him into our hearts and saying, “Lord, we want to dwell where you dwell.” Worship should be the longing of your heart connecting intimately with Father God. There is a unity, a divine connection with the Spirit of God that no fleshly mind can understand or comprehend unless they are in the Spirit with almighty God.

We are connected to His heart when we humble ourselves, bow before Him, and worship God in the right spirit. We must take time before worship to ready our hearts and emotions so we will be in the proper frame of mind. Our worship must show great reverence toward God. "In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all those who surround him" (See Psalms 89:7)

Worship frees us and allows our hearts to offer all that we are to Him. We must control our thoughts during periods of worship and not let them wander to other things. We must learn to approach God’s throne with a pure heart because He is holy. He alone is worthy to be worshiped and praised. "But as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, because it is written: Be holy, because I am holy (See 1 Peter 1:15-16).

Our worship not only honors and magnifies God, but it is also for our own edification and strength. Worship helps us develop a Godlike and Christ-like character. We become like those we admire and worship. When we worship God, we tend to value what He values and mirror His characteristics. We become more and more like Him.

In other words, God makes us better people in our thought process, in our actions, and in making decisions, so that even our future is more clear and bright. As we worship Him, He changes everything for our good. When we worship God, we develop such traits as forgiveness, tenderness, justice, righteousness, purity, kindness, and love.  "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ" (See Philippians 2:5)

God does not dwell in the flesh. Have you been worshiping God and felt like you cannot touch His heart or that you’re not sensing His spirit or that He was not close to you? When we come to worship God with a confused, distracted heart that is filled with a lot of distractions, we will not sense His spirit because God is holy and pure. He does not dwell in a confused heart or spirit.

When you enter God’s presence in the flesh, you will get the same fleshy results you had before, because we are to approach His throne to worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

So before you come to the Lord to worship Him, always remember to lose yourself in God and to have a pure heart that is true because it’s not about what you want from God, it’s about who He is. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Holy One, the great I Am, and He alone is worthy to be worshiped. Jesus said to him, "Away from me Satan! For its written worship the Lord your God and serve Him only" (See Matthew 4:10)

If we worship God in Spirit and in truth, we cannot worship anyone or anything else. Anything we worship, other than God, is an idol. Nothing else matters apart from you and Him. Worship connects us to God’s heart. Our prayers are answered in worship, and we find forgiveness, restoration, and rest in Him.

God is not interested in lip service, singing, or worshiping for the sake of it. He is only interested in your heart. Are you too willing to surrender your all to worship Him even when you are hurting, have lost a loved one, are going through a divorce, are depressed, sick, or even on the verge of committing suicide? You have to remember something; God can change any situation that you’re facing right now. All you have to do is stop for a minute and worship Him and give Him all the glory. Not worshiping God may be the one thing that is standing in the way of your miracle and breakthrough.

Honor and adore the giver of everything. He knows all things and He knows what you are going through right now. All He wants is a relationship with you. Trust God today and worship Him; He has been waiting for you. God is calling you to a place of intimacy so that you can worship Him in Spirit and in truth no matter what you’re going through, because in that there is a great breakthrough for you.

When you make God happy by worshiping Him in Spirit and in truth, I guarantee that He will give you the desires of your heart. He loves it when you focus on Him and Him alone. So don’t be distracted by the cares of this world. Take time each day and worship God. Let Him know how special He is to you and thank Him for His goodness, because He alone is worthy, holy, mighty, and greatly to be praised.

Our heart’s desire should be to worship God because we have been designed for that purpose. Worship engages us with another. It gives us connection with God where we can express ourselves by offering Him our love, adoration, praise, intercession, jubilation, petition, and by blessing His name. When that is present, the presence of God is magnified, and His anointing falls on the true worshipers. As the body of Christ, we are to turn our hearts completely to Him and then be passionate about who He is by worshiping Him in Spirit and in truth.

We have to long for God and His presence. True worship comes when our hearts are zealous, thirsty, and hungry for Him. He will fill us up in the depths of our soul when we truly worship Him. David showed us how He truly worshiped God in the Bible. Scripture says we need to long for God more than anything, even more than the air we breathe, because He will fill us up and satisfy our soul to the glory of His precious name. Worship Him every day with passion and a longing to be filled with every part of Him. “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (See Psalms 42:1)

Reflect on God alone and worship Him. Think about His goodness. Don’t focus on what’s going on around you. Allow your spirit to focus on what God is doing inside you and worship Him. Even when you feel you have said what needs to be said to God, and you can’t find any more words, just worship Him. Let your praise come out of the depth of your belly; cry out to God in true worship, and God will reveal Himself to you. It’s not about what man thinks about you; it’s all about God and what He thinks of you. Only He alone deserves to be worshiped.

Every time I offer God true worship, His spirit pours down on me like rain, and tears of joy and love run down my face. In His presence there is fullness of joy. I never want to stop worshiping Him. Once you’re in it, you never want to leave; you just want to stay and enjoy His love, mercy, and grace.

His presence is so sweet, and His love is so intense that it breaks away every fear that has blocked your intimacy with Father God. It’s like the more you worship Him, the more He fills you up with Himself. I feel His love, peace, caress, and presence every time I’m with Him. As you worship Him, you will be ushered into total freedom, new birth, deliverance, transformation, and revival.

Worshiping God is life changing; it’s the kind of experience you want to have forever. Worship is the best place you can ever be. Long to be in God’s presence by worshiping Him in Spirit and in truth, and abide under the shadow of His love as He covers you and protects you, restores you, heals you, and blesses you.

That’s why I love worshiping my Lord. The thought of Him gives me tingles in my body. God’s presence is very strong; it takes over everything that you are, and when you are clothed with God, His countenance overshadows you.

Worship Him always and set aside your busy schedule and give God the glory. He is holy and worthy to be praised; we can’t hide from His presence. He is always there to comfort us no matter what we are going through. If you are afraid, worship Him until all your fear is gone; worship Him out of your debt; worship Him out of your insecurities; worship Him out of your sickness and disease; and worship Him out of your pain. Once you worship Him, He will free you from everything that has bound you.

I declare that peace and contentment will enter your heart as you worship Him. The cares of this world will not matter at all. God will fill you up with worship, and the power of His presence will surround you.

Worship is our chance to acknowledge God for who He truly is. “The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (See Revelation 4:10-11)

That’s the kind of worship (and much more) we need to offer our Father, the Creator of all things. Worship God, for He is holy and worthy to receive all honor. Bow down before Him who sits on the throne and unto the lamb. Intimately worship God right now, and desire His presence. Let the songs of heaven flow through your heart in Jesus’ name.

Worship Prayer

Dear Lord, as a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you. Oh Lord, my soul thirsts for you. I worship you, most holy God. Lord, you are holy. I worship you; I adore you. You are worthy to be praised. There is no one like you. Only you can satisfy. I bless your name. Let your presence fill me today, so that I can be made whole, purified, and set free, because in you, Oh Lord, there is freedom. Fill me with the power and anointing to worship you in Spirit and in truth. I can’t do it on my own; you are what my heart is longing for. I want to be like you Jesus. You are great. You deserve the glory. There is none like you. Draw me near to your to throne. I need your love to wash over me and make me whole. Without you, Lord, I’m nothing. I worship you with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my might. Search me, oh God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts to see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. I surrender my mind, body, and soul to you. You are highly lifted up, above all that I’m facing and going through. Nothing can compare to your amazing love for me. I worship and adore you, Lord.

In Jesus’ name, I pray.

….Amen….

~~~~Meditation Notes~~~~

CHAPTER 9

LOVE STORY

Love story to me is the ultimate journey of sacrifice for ones' love for another. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (See John 3:16)

God is love, and He has defined Himself and His attitude towards us. The Bible says, Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres (See Corinthians 13:4-7) that is agape love, the attitude of God expressed in action to man.

There is a love that is greater than any other love. It is a love that cannot be compared to silver or gold, but the shed blood of Jesus at Calvary displayed it for us.

God loved us so much that He didn’t want us to die with sin, but He wanted to live and have relationship, fellowship, and dwell with us. That’s why He gave us the greatest gift of love, the best of Himself, so that we could be saved.

True love is sacrificial. Have you ever loved someone so much that you gave up everything so they could be happy? Do you remember how good their happiness made you feel?  Remember, when you give or sow love, you reap love. The harvest of God’s love is even greater than what we reap through other relationships. God loves you so much that He will go to the ends of the earth for you.

God’s love is yours forever. Once you receive Him in your life, He will take care of you, walk with you, and be with you. He will never leave you or forsake you. No matter what you do, His love is very real that it goes beyond all of our failures and mistakes. Even when we feel we don’t deserve it, He loves us anyway.

God is love and He loves you for you. Remember in His Word, He said He formed us even before we were in our mother’s wombs. God knows your destiny. He knows the many times when you have fallen short of His glory and made mistakes. God knows you are not perfect, yet He is madly, deeply in love with you and always will be, because His love is from everlasting to everlasting.

God’s love is unconditional. It looks beyond our faults, failures, and our past. He sent His son Jesus to redeem us from the hands of the enemy because we belong to Him and God protects His children. He said that He never leaves us nor forsakes us. His promise is true because He does not lie.

Do you know that this means no matter how many sins you commit, God will not love you less? He will not change His mind about you. He loves you above all else, and His grace is sufficient for you.

Are you feeling not good enough or unloved today?  I want to let you know that God loves you so much, it does not matter who has left you, rejected you, abused you, and not loved you.

Jesus is love, and He loves you very much. His love extends from glory to glory. You can’t contain it. It’s freeing and healing. Allow God to heal your heart and soul from past hurt. God wants to dwell inside you, but you have let the fear of being rejected and unloved hinder your relationship with the true God, the giver of love.

He loves everything about you. Everything that you see as ugly about yourself, God sees as beautiful and precious in His eyes. He created you, and everything He creates is perfect and beautiful. Remember you are the only you in the world; you are very special to Him and He loves you. Jesus is here to walk this journey with you. He has never left you despite all you have been through over the years. He has always been right by your side. He loves you.

Everything God does flows in love, and in His presence flows rivers of love, grace, forgiveness, blessing, kindness, and favor from God’s heart to yours. Many times, we have let the cares and distractions of this world sway us away from God’s love. We need to abide in the greatest love of all, Jesus Christ.

Even when things are not going right, His loving arms are here to hold you, lift you up when you are down, carry you when you are weak, heal you when you are sick, and restore you when you are broken and wounded from pain.

Jesus will always save you when you are lost, discouraged, sick, confused, hurt, disappointed, abused, mistreated, on the verge of committing suicide, and hopeless. He loves you when you feel unloved. Always turn to God and remove everything and anything that has hindered you from dwelling in His presence and love.

God feels everything you feel, and He understands everything you are going through, so don’t shut Him out; His love is available for you. Together, you and God have the greatest love story.

With people, love often starts with feelings. Jesus has feelings too; He feels like you feel, and He takes pleasure in His people. “For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation” (See Psalm 149:4)

God also demonstrated His love for you by offering His son Jesus Christ as the ultimate sacrifice. He continues to demonstrate His love by drawing near to you and holding you in His arms and heart.

For those in relationships or who are married, you have enjoyed it when your loved one has wrapped his or her arms around you. It’s the same with God, only much better. Your desire and longing to be held by another person is evident of your need to be held by God. God longs to hold you, because He loves you. So I urge you to come to Him and become childlike. Accept God’s love and thrill yourself with God’s caress. To confirm this, my mom told me, that when my father passed on (her husband) immediately after realizing on the hospital bed that her husband, my father had breathed his last. She felt a presence beside her. This presence kept surrounding her; she would sometimes feel as if someone was carrying her in his arms. She would sometimes look around as if someone was really standing next to her. She felt peace and strength to face whatever was coming. This presence stayed with her for two weeks. It’s amazing but that’s the love of God.

Jesus said abide in my love. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love” (See John 15:9).  We need to live in God’s love. Remember, you and God are a love story. If you abide in God, you abide in love. Direct your heart and shelter yourself in His love that shines from God’s heart to yours. He loves you more than anything. You belong to Him, and you are His beloved.

His love gives us the answers, assurance, guidance, peace, strength, power, and a revelation of who He is and what He wants to do for us because of His great love toward us.

When we look at God's love journey for us, we look at the Cross at Calvary where God went through pain, tribulation, hatred, blasphemy, betrayal, rejection, and was falsely accused. He was beaten and wounded. His skin was torn from His body. He endured all this because He loves us even to the point of death.

He laid His life down for you so that you could be saved and redeemed. He did it to keep you from the deceitful ways of Satan. He did it to protect you, to take care of you, and to love you forever as you walk this journey with Him till that day comes when you will see your lover's face to face. Blessed be His name...Jesus Christ, the son of the living God.

God's dwelling (secret place) is an ocean of Love. His love overshadows all our shame, guilt, frustrations, fears, pain, loss, betrayal, depression, low self-esteem and any struggle that you are facing right now. His amazing love has been released to heal you, restore, rebuild, make you over, protect and guide you through anything but most of all Love you  unconditionally. His love cannot be compared to man, it’s so Divine that it rescues you  from the arms of the devour (Satan) and he will never harm you as long as you continue to abide in Jesus' enduring Love and take refuge in his presence forever.

In conclusion, our love towards God will lead us to recognize His presence is with us. He gives us the freedom to talk with Him, to listen to Him, to sense Him, and to love Him. Being in God and abiding in His love creates a deeper intimacy that keeps you longing for more and more. The journey goes on and on, and that’s the true love story between you and God. Take this journey with your Savior Jesus, and you will be blessed.

Love Story Prayer

Dear Lord, I love you Lord, you’re my strength. God, you’re bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight. My God, you are the high crag where I run for dear life and hide behind the boulders, safe in the granite hideout. I sing praise to you, God, and I find myself safe and saved. The hangman's noose was tight at my throat; the devil’s waters rushed over me. Hell's ropes cinched me tight; death traps barred every exit. A hostile world! I called to you, oh God. I cried for you to help me. From your palace, you heard my call; my cry brings me right into your presence. They hit me when I was down, but, God, you stuck by me. You stood me up in a wide-open field. I stood there saved—surprised to be loved! God, you made my life complete when I placed all my pieces before you. When I got my act together, you gave me a fresh start. Now, I'm alert to God's ways; I don't take God for granted. Every day I review the ways He works; I try not to miss a trick. I feel put back together, and I'm watching my step. God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes. Good people taste your goodness. Whole people taste your health. True people taste your truth. The bad ones can't figure you out. Suddenly, God, you flooded my life with love; I'm blazing with glory, God's glory! I smash the bands of marauders; I vault the highest fences. What a God! His road stretches straight and smooth. Every God-direction is road-tested. Everyone who runs toward Him makes it. Is there any god like God? Are we not at bedrock? Is not this the God who armed me and then aimed me in the right direction? Now I run like a deer; I'm king of the mountain. He shows me how to fight; I can bend a bronze bow! You protect me with salvation-armor; you hold me up with a firm hand, caress me with your gentle ways, and love me. (See Psalms 118 Message Bible Translation). Thank you for loving me and walking this journey of love with me. I love you, Lord. In Jesus’ name, I pray.

….Amen….

~~~~Meditation Notes~~~~

CHAPTER 10

GOD’S PRESENCE

God’s presence is an awesome, pure, and holy manifestation that gives spiritual satisfaction and fulfillment. “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (See Psalms 139:7-8)

The presence of God is powerful; it’s the sweetest feeling. It sets everybody free that abides, dwells, and receives it. The Bible Says, “The Lord replied, ‘my presence shall go with thee, and I will give you rest everything will be fine for you”.

The presence of God provides us with rest that no one can ever give us. He also said in His Word, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

What is it that has stolen your rest and peace? Why can’t you seem to find freedom? What makes you feel bound so that nothing feels like it is moving forward and everything in your life is at a standstill? What answers have you searched for and been unable to find? What prayers have you prayed but don’t yet see breakthrough?

God is calling you to His presence where you will be set free. You will find joy and the strength you need to get you through any storm or situation that you face or any mountain that has been too hard for you to climb and overcome.

God has power over Satan, and He defeated him and the spirit of darkness 2000 years ago. Nothing, by any means, has a hold over you, because you have authority in Christ Jesus to overcome anything, so live life in God’s presence and not in fear. God’s presence has been made available for you; reach out to Him so that He can feel you up. Your life will be revived and transformed when you allow His sweet presence to overshadow you.

Key Ingredients You Find in God’s Presence

        In God’s presence you will find glory, honor, strength and gladness. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy in His dwelling (See I Chronicles 16:27). You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand (See Psalms 16:11).

        In God’s presence, there is a strength and completeness because God is ever present to enrich your life. The Bible says, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me; your right hand will support me fast” (See Psalms 139:7-10).

        God is always there. Will you allow Him to dwell in you no matter where you are? Wherever you go He will go; His presence will always go with you. Allow yourself to be transformed by His presence, because in Him all things are made whole and complete to the glory of His precious name.

        In His presence, there is great humility. No flesh can glory in His presence. God doesn’t allow any fleshly desires to abide in His presence. That’s why, before we enter God’s presence, we must unmask ourselves of everything that is flesh and worship God in Spirit and in truth. God is holy, His presence is sacred, and God is longing for purity, repentant hearts to approach His throne of grace with fear and trembling.

        God chose things despised by the world, things that counted as nothing at all, and He used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. Remember, pride hinders God’s presence from being active in your life; always humble yourself before the mighty throne of God.

        The presence of God creates an atmosphere of travail and great intercession. When we are filled with God’s presence, His spirit abides in us and prays through us, because greater is He that is in us than He that’s in the world.

        His presence changes the way we say and do things. God is holy and all-powerful, and His Spirit transcends to those who diligently seek Him. Allow God’s presence to fill you today. Open your heart to God alone and your life will be transformed.

God’s Powerful Presence

Many times, when I have been in the presence of God, I have experienced the most peace, freedom, joy, and love ever. I can't compare my time in His presence with anything else. It’s the place I always want to dwell, because in Him I am made whole and complete.

Just the sense of God always being there with me encouraged me a lot, especially when I was not feeling well or was going through a stressful season. Through moments of frustration and disappointment, His presence has always been available for me to dwell in, and it guided me through the toughest situations and through everything. God has great love for you as His child. So choose to always abide and dwell in His presence.

His presence is so powerful that it is the answer to emotional distress and physical health. It heals, it restores, it purifies, and it beautifies everything that seems ugly in your life. If God’s presence can do it for me, I know He can do it for you.

So don’t be afraid to approach and come into His presence. He is the answer for all that you have been looking for all these years. Spend time with Him and get to know more about Him. His heart’s desire is to love you and lift you up when you’re down.

God’s presence is everywhere; it’s not limited to a certain place or location. You can have it at your place of work, in the grocery store, in the bedroom, in your car while driving, while you’re walking, or in the shower. God’s presence is always available to you no matter where you are.

It doesn’t matter what's surrounding you, once you invite God's presence He will make Himself known and available to you. Invite Him in, and He will live in you forever.

The secret of being in God’s presence is obeying God’s principles. The more we obey Him and spend time with Him, the more His presence will dwell in us. When we are in God’s presence, we will experience love, peace, and joy. God gives us power through His Holy Spirit, and He helps us make healthy choices and necessary behavior changes.

You can grow even in the most difficult situations and areas in your life because you have tasted His presence, and He is always with you to guide you. So before you approach His throne, always have a repentant, open heart to God; make your heart available for Him to touch and set you free from all that has held you bound in chains for so long. Once God fills you up with His presence of joy, He will free your life forever, and you will live the blessed life that God predestined for you in the beginning.

Many times, the devil has done his dirty work against us, and he has worked day and night to distract us. He uses those who are dear to us, people that we love and care for, by causing negative energy that inspires us to act in the flesh, which destroys our focus towards God.

We have put much emphasis on the world’s problems instead of trusting God with our own situations. I want you to know that God’s presence does not operate in the flesh but in the Spirit.

When we walk in the flesh, we are weak and vulnerable, and we are easy targets for the devil. What spirit have you allowed to dwell in you? Is it God’s spirit or Satan’s? Whatever spirit you allow to dwell in you will live in you, so the choice is yours: light or darkness, God or Satan? In His Word, God tells us to always choose light so that it shall be well with us. The devil is at war with the body of Christ. He knows he has already lost, and his time has run out, so He is going to do all He can to detour you from God’s presence.

Do you daily visualize the things of God (Spirit) or Satan (flesh)? What are you entertaining and consuming in your spirit, soul, and mind? Is it making you the best God has created you to be, or is it making you miserable so you constantly don’t see results?  Change your worldly perception and align it with a kingdom perception, and your life will be fulfilled and greatly designed by God’s heart. Remember, what you visualize you conceive inside of you and then you give birth to it.

As a child of God, you have to be alert and guarded by God’s spirit at all times and be prayed up at all times. So trust God at all times, and don’t give the enemy room to rob you of the joy and peace you have in Jesus Christ.

Many times, when I experienced low points in my life, I felt like God was a million miles away from me. I knew I had to fix what I was feeling. I realized that I was not spending much time with Him like I should have, so I turned all my focus on Him, and I called out His name. On a daily basis, I longed for His presence, and He filled me up with His peace and comfort.

There are so many times when we can’t sense His presence and we feel that He is out of reach, yet He’s there. Whenever you feel this way, God is calling you to Himself, because God has never left. All you have to do is switch on the antennas of your heart towards Him and seek His face. I promise He will fill you up. In the Bible, He said when you seek Him, you shall find him.

Dwelling in God’s presence has to be a daily commitment, even when you don’t feel like it. I know you might say you have tried that before, but it didn’t work, and you just ended up more frustrated. Always check the intentions of your heart and make sure your motives are right. Many times we make the mistake of seeking God, longing for Him so we can get what we want, and then disappearing for a while. Sometimes we do it again when it’s convenient for us and benefits our own needs.

God cannot be manipulated or taken advantage of. It’s high time we take full responsibility for our actions and start seeking God for who He really is in our lives, not for what we want. He is the Almighty, the great I Am, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. Our God is a relationship kind of God. He doesn’t want to be used by His children. He told us to seek His kingdom first, and then all these things will be added unto us, in Jesus’ name.

Being in God’s presence is not something we can make happen with our mind. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. Don’t put your faith in your imagination; put your faith in God. We have to stop protecting ourselves from God enough to open up our hearts and receive His presence and take refuge in Him.

Let God’s presence be the cry of your heart today; seek Him without ceasing. He is a friend in times of need. He is the answer you have been looking for. He will never leave you or forsake you. You can depend on His powerful presence. He loves you unconditionally. It doesn’t matter what you have been through, God loves you and wants to dwell in you.

When we talk about God’s presence, we are really talking about the realization of feeling Him living and dwelling in us. God is everywhere, but He always reveals Himself to those who diligently seek Him. But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul (See Deuteronomy 4:29).

This world is full of pain and darkness, however in God there is joy, peace, and His light is forever present. You can lose the pain and darkness by being in God’s presence, because in Him you lose yourself, and you are clothed with His identity, so whenever trouble or doubt comes, always hide in God’s presence and turn to Him, and He will be there for you.

In conclusion, if I did not trust God’s presence, His power, and His might, I don’t think I would have made it this far. I am here because of God, His presence has guided me in the right direction, and I believe with all my heart He will also guide you to Himself in Jesus’ name.

His Presence Prayer

Dear Lord, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation, and uphold me by your generous spirit (see Psalm 51:10-12). Lord, you are holy, mighty, awesome, and powerful. Your presence is the only place I want to dwell. I surrender my mind, body, and soul to your will. Give me peace, joy, happiness, and freedom in your presence. Free me today, I pray, from hell’s storm, from the devil’s hold over me, from every stronghold, and from anything that has kept me away from your presence. Fill me now with your presence, power, and anointing, so that I can be more like you. Pour out Your Spirit upon me and let your presence revive and transform me inside out. I belong in your presence, and that is where I want to be. Consume me with the power of your presence so that I may walk, talk, and think like you, dear Lord. I need you every hour, every minute, and every second. In your hands, I place my spirit. My heart is all yours; use it for your glory, and may your sweet presence be with me forever. In Jesus’ name,

I pray.

….Amen....

~~~~Meditation Notes~~~~

CHAPTER 11

REFRESHING ANOINTING

Refreshing anointing of God is the Holy Spirit. He flows as a river of love, from the throne of grace, through the hearts of believers, bringing life to all that receive His touch. God’s refreshing anointing is the supernatural presence of God upon you. It’s being aware of His presence. The anointing of God means being set apart for His service.

The Bible says, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (See Luke 4:18-19)

When God pours out His anointing upon flesh, He breaks every yoke and destroys every stronghold in your life. God’s anointing is powerful.

The anointing of God sets captives free. The powerful presence of God’s anointing changes situations around you and draws you deeper into God’s intimacy. God’s anointing reveals truth to those who draw near to God. But you have an anointing from the Holy one, and all of you know the truth (See 1 John 2:20).

God’s powerful anointing flows through praise, worship, spiritual prayer (tongues), and repentance. In order for God’s anointing to be present in your life, in your quiet time, in a church service, in prayer fellowship, and at our Bible studies, we have to create an atmosphere for the anointing of God to dwell and flow within us.

God’s anointing is pure and holy; it sanctifies. We have to prepare our body, soul, and mind to hear from the Spirit of God. We have to remove or clear our minds from all hindrances, clutter, and distractions that would prevent God’s anointing to operate fully and freely in our lives. But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil (See Psalms 92:10).

Is there a hunger and thirst stirring in your heart for the reality of the presence of God?  The sweet anointing of the Holy Spirit is refreshing and transforming. It frees you from every bondage, pain, stress, suffering, misery, depression, sickness, and disease.

How desperate are you for God’s anointing? Or how desperately do you to want to live free in Christ? God’s anointing is here to set you free. It breaks every yoke and breaks every heavy chain that has bound you. God’s anointing is liberating and He is calling you to freedom. This is the day for your visitation; receive His anointing and invite Him in. He says in His Word, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (See John 8:36).

I believe we are living in the last days when there is a great longing in the hearts of God’s people for a fresh anointing in worship. There is going to be a great outpouring of God’s Spirit and anointing that is going to set you free and anoint you to walk in power concerning the things of the Spirit. But how do we get to the place where our worship services flow in a tangible anointing? He says in His Word, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams” (See Acts 2:17).

This only happens when the anointing of God is present; supernatural things happen when God releases His spirit upon His people. So be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and worship God with all of your heart and hold back nothing. In worship, we are to surrender all and not care who is seated next to us in church. It should be all about worshiping God in Spirit and in truth. God will pour out His anointing.

Being totally dependent on the Holy Spirit in every area of your life releases faith in a way that pleases God and when we please God, then he releases His powerful anointing. We find ourselves singing songs and acting out in a radical way, no service remains the same because when God’s anointing invades a person, church, or nation, there is revival and transformation in the life of that person, and the land is also revived and healed.

God pours out His anointing when we come into His secret place and honor and adore Him alone. Seeking God is not just an experience; it’s a journey of soaking into worship with God. Worship is a place of great intimacy with the Father where your heart longs for His touch alone.

When we worship Him with songs that capture His heart, it leaves us with the enduring sense and feel of His presence that keeps us hungering and thirsting for more of God’s anointing. God’s anointing is freeing, redeeming, and loving. So I encourage you to draw near to God and be refreshed with God’s sweet anointing in the secret place of His presence.

We need to yield to the grace of His anointing. It’s vital to understand the grace of God’s anointing. Grace means yielding; Yielding means to give up, to surrender, to submit, to concede, and to admit. God’s word is the genuine truth. Yielding to God’s anointing is not something we do automatically but something that is gradually learned.

Daily surrender to His will makes a huge difference in your life. You will want to know more about God, and He will lead you to His presence, and His presence will lead you to His anointing.

Secrets of God’s Anointing

        Obedience to His will: Jesus Christ always knew God’s anointing because He always did things that pleased the Father. I encourage you to do things that please God and His anointing will be upon your life because continued obedience to God is an essential element of knowing God’s anointing. “The one who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases Him" (See John 8:29).

        Fasting and praying: This is powerful and it produces God’s anointing. Spend amounts of time praying and fasting. Spend time with God and die to the flesh, and God will pour out His anointing upon you. Even Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days and nights in the wilderness and God’s anointing was upon Him. He cast out devils, healed the sick, and set captives free. Jesus was a prayer warrior. We can do the same, and His spirit will be upon us.

        As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in Him ( See  1 John 2:27 ).

        Abiding in God’s presence: You will receive the anointing. Through abiding in God’s presence, we get knowledge through the Holy Spirit who teaches us. It’s the anointing of the Holy Spirit that teaches us the things of the Spirit, and through whom we know the gifts of the spirit which are the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, the gift of prophesy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues. When we abide in God, His anointing is always with us.

        Unity in worship: Unity in body, soul, and spirit activates God’s presence and His anointing. The Bible says He is always with us when we pray, worship, and seek Him in unity. “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (See Matthew 18:20).

        Reading God’s Word: Studying the Word of God enables us to know more about God and His anointing, and it gives us clear directions on how to obtain God’s anointing. When we look in the Bible, God has already anointed us to tap into that anointing and experience the goodness of the Lord.

        The word of God is true and we need it to survive, so read it to be wise, believe it to be safe and protected and do what it says to be Holy because it contains the light to direct you and the food to support you and comfort to cheer you up when you are going through tough times in your life. The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled” (See Jeremiah 1:12).

        Repentance from sin: Especially from unbelief, fear and the sin of the mind (flesh). Repentance allows the anointing of God to flow freely in your life. Once Jesus’ blood has cleansed and purified you, God’s anointing dwells in you because God is pure and holy. So in order for His anointing to be active, it has to find a pure and holy place to dwell. Purify your mind daily and ask for forgiveness so that there is no sin in you that would hinder God from transforming your life. Jesus taught that our most important priority should be to enter the Kingdom of God. From the beginning of His public ministry He stressed that repentance is an integral part of reaching that goal. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (See Luke: 5:32).

        Being baptized by the Holy Spirit... When we are baptized by the Holy Spirit, the anointing of God ascends on us and is expressed by the speaking of heavenly tongues, being slain to the ground by the Holy Spirit, through your body shaking, the sensation of tingling all over your body, a sense of freedom, and a newness of heart. God’s anointing changes your surroundings to the glory of His name.

        Approval and acceptance from God: When God’s anointing comes upon us; God lets us know that He approves of us, accepts us, is pleased with us, and loves us very much.  When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (See Luke 3:21-22).

        Loving others more than ourselves: The anointing of God is the Holy Spirit. He flows as a river of love, from the throne of grace, through the hearts of believers, bringing life to all that receive His touch. God anoints people that love Him more than they love their own lives, and that love others as themselves. God’s anointing is on those who love others more than themselves. As we open our hearts to love others, God's anointing flows through us. When we close our hearts to others, and grieve the Holy Spirit, the flow stops. If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well (See James 2:8).

        Always remember obedience draws the anointing of God to you, but disobedience causes God’s anointing to depart from you. As we look at Saul, we see that God’s anointing spirit departed from him because he broke God’s commandments and disobeyed God. Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him (See 1 Samuel 16:14). Draw near to God always and His anointing will forever be with you.

Refreshing Anointing prayer

Lord, pour out your fresh anointing upon me, so that I can know the deeper things of the kingdom. Fill me with your anointing, and set me free from everything that has held me bound. Your anointing breaks every yoke, so, dear Lord, break every yoke inside me, mold me, renew me, and make me in your own likeness. Lord, I surrender to your will. Teach me how to obey and be humble before you. I can’t do anything without you guiding my way. Lord, I am thirsty and hungry for your anointing. Fill me up and make me a new again, so I can see clearly in the Spirit. Pour out your fresh anointing upon my family, my friends, my church, and me so we can see revival and transformation in our lives. Lord, you are holy; you are worthy to be praised. I surrender everything in obedience to your powerful name. Anoint me now, I pray.

….Amen….

~~~~Meditation Notes~~~~

CHAPTER 12

PRAYER IN THE SECRET PLACE

Prayer is communication with God, or it is essentially the time we spend consciously in the presence of God, desiring to know and love Him more. Prayer is a duet between you and God. It is a petition, or adoration, or contrition, or thanksgiving. Prayer is also the opening of one's heart and soul in a conversation with God. Prayer may be either individual or communal and can take place in public or in private. Pray continually (See 1Thessalonaians 5:17)

Humility is the foundation of prayer. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (See Mark 11:24).

Jesus was also a prayer warrior. As we look in the Bible there are many examples when Jesus prayed to Father God. He is a perfect example for us to pray daily without ceasing and give no room for the devil and the flesh to attack our lives.

Here are some examples of Jesus praying in the Bible.

        At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do (See Matthew 11:25-26).

        One of those days Jesus went out to a mountain side to pray, and spent the night praying to God (See Luke 6:12)

        About eight days after Jesus said this; he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. (See Luke 9:28)

        Jesus trusted God with everything, which is why He prayed to the Father and depended on Him. Jesus discovered that everything He needed was in the Father, because the Father created Jesus in His own image. So the more Jesus drew closer to the Father, the closer the Father drew to Him. If you are having difficulty praying to God, ask Him to teach you how to pray because He will. As we see in the Scriptures, when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, this is what He said to them. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil one Amen. (See Mathew 6:9-13).

        Prayer is the key to the throne room of God. It draws us close to God and increases intimacy between Father God and us. It also gives us direct contact with the heart of God.

        When we pray, heaven opens up, and God pours out His spirit, anointing, blessings, and answers everything we have prayed for. He makes His presence known to those who diligently seek Him, because He tells us in His Word to ask because you will receive. When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened (See Luke 3:21).

I have realized that when we lift our souls to God in prayer, it gives God an opportunity to do His will in us and with us. Prayer is about trusting and completely depending on God as our source, and praying and believing by faith that we have already received what we have asked God for. For He is not man that He should lie. He is a God who answers prayers.

When you pray, you need to put aside your selfish desires and pray to God with a pure heart. Prayer is something you cultivate daily. It’s not something you should only do when you are in desperate need, or when you are facing difficulties in life. Do not let your prayer life be self-centered and fleshly, because God wants you to spend most of your prayer time with Him.

God wants fellowship with us daily. The more we abide in His presence in prayer, the more we get to know more about Him. We have to avoid the mistake we always make when praying because every time we come to God in prayer it’s always about our needs, even God gets tired of being used by his children.

Our prayer life should always be about God. He said in His Word that if we seek the kingdom of God first, all the things that we want and desire will be given unto us. Before listing your request it’s better to start by adoring, thanking, worshiping, and praising Him for who He is, not what He has to offer. It’s a divine relationship of love between you and God. You are connected directly to His heart.

We cannot get heavenly visions or revelation unless we pray because where there is no revelation; the people are cast off restraint; (See Proverbs 29:18). Prayer unveils heavenly mysteries that will help direct our life as we walk with God.

Prayer is the key for a great move of God to break out in our land. Prayer is so vital for Christians and its needed today more than ever, especially when we look at what is happening in the world today. The church is also under attack on all sides.

We need to pray in our homes, churches, schools, communities, and nations for God to revive us as individuals and as the whole body of Christ. We need to pray for both Christians and non-Christians, because God came to revive us all through salvation that is found only in Jesus Christ, to the glory of His precious name.

At its highest levels, real prayer reveals a soul’s thirst, its desperate longing for God alone. Real prayer comes from those whose affection is set on things above. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land ( See 2 Chronicles 7:14 ).

Prayer is not so much about always getting tangible and exciting answers to our requests; it’s about increasing our dependency on God and our love, submission, and obedience towards God for everything.

Importance of Prayer

        Prayer opens up our spiritual antennas to hear from God. The more we abide in Him, the more He abides in us. In Him we live, move, and have our being. Praying and diligently seeking God alerts us to His ways. Give God time in the inner chamber (in the secret place), and He will minister to you and reveal Himself to you.

        Prayer matures us spiritually and our relationship with God. It’s vital for a relationship. Let us look at marriage. Speaking  from experience and research I found out that we sometimes measure the quality of a marriage relationship by how well the couple communicates, because most marriages that have problems, the main issue has been lack communication between the two. Communication is the very key to maintaining a relationship, likewise unto to God when we are not in good communication with God our spiritual life dies.

        Prayer flourishes your relationship with God. That’s why we say things like, “I don’t feel God; He is not answering; He is not coming to my rescue.” We act so fleshy, and we are in an emotional crisis because our well is empty. In order to sustain the well of prayer, you have to pray always without ceasing; that's how you maintain it. You will never run out of Jesus' flowing river of prayer and his presence will always be with you, because your communication with him is at its best.

        Prayer helps us discern God’s will, and when we come to understand God’s will, we understand God. It also happens in our relationships with people, friends, and marriages. We often can tell what our spouse will say, or how he or she will respond to a certain situation or request, because we have spent a lot of time with them and have come to understand our spouses and know who they are. The same applies to God. The more you spend with Him, the more you get to know Him, and prayer is the key ingredient in such relationship.

        Prayer helps us grow in the knowledge of God, and helps understand God’s purpose and plan for our lives, as we come to know Him in the Bible through prayer and obedience.

        The more we pray, the more we grow in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, so pray without ceasing to the glory of God. Paul prays….”For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God” ( See Colossians 1:9-10)

        Prayer empowers us; it’s like a cell phone that needs a charger so whenever it runs out of power, prayer is our spiritual battery. So whenever we feel the flesh is starting to take over, or we feel out of tune with God, we need to charge and feed our spiritual body through prayer and ask God to fill us with more of Him. We have to know that God is our source of strength, and He empowers those that seek Him in Spirit and in truth.

        Prayer is a weapon against the devil and His kingdom of darkness. God has given us authority through prayer to destroy the enemy in Jesus’ name. When you are prayed up, no devil in hell will touch you because you are protected by God’s presence.

        God is our refuge. In Him we are protected from the plans of the devil and his tactics. Jesus covers us with the power of His blood every time we pray. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you (See Luke 10:19).

        Prayer is essential for obtaining forgiveness. God is a forgiving God. He said ask and you shall receive. So when you ask for forgiveness, the power of His precious blood will cleanse you from all infirmities. He will not remember your sins anymore, because in Him you are set free. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (See 1 John 1:9).

        Prayer protects us from temptation. We have to pray ahead of time, so that we will not be tempted, because the devil knows our weaknesses, so He will push those buttons so that we can react. When you pray, you are well aware of your surroundings, you are driven by the spirit not the flesh. What is your weakness?  Go to God in prayer, so that you will not fall into temptation.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (See Mathew 6:13).

        Jesus is the perfect example of how to resist temptation through prayer. He fasted and prayed forty nights and days in the wilderness. Because of that, He overcame the devil by the power of the Word of God. Jesus and God are one. He was walking in the Spirit in the wilderness and not in the flesh.

        The wilderness experience is meant to make us stronger, not weaker. That’s why we need to be prayed up, because if Satan tempted Jesus, you will definitely be tempted to, because the devil is roaring around like a lion looking for whom he may devour in an otherwise weaker vessel. This Scripture explains this perfectly well… Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (See Matthew 4: 1-4).

        Prayer not only brings change in our circumstances and situations in life, it changes us on the inside and out. You will start to see the difference the more you pray. We have to pray to God to change us so we can become more like Him.

        Prayer changes your destiny. If you have suffered your whole life, and nothing good has ever happened to you, you will recognize through intensive prayer that you believed a lie from the devil. What we go through does not define us. We are defined by how we overcome and get through the trials, because with God all is possible, and we can overcome anything when we trust Him in prayer.

        Prayer reverses every curse, witchcraft, generational diseases, poverty, the habits, the occult, and every evil spell and pattern that has been hovering over you from the time you were born till now. Prayer destroys every curse back to a thousand generations.

        Prayer destroys the root cause of a situation in your life no matter what it is. Trust God with your family, marriage, ministry, and your finances. Surrender all to God in prayer, and He will deliver you from all that had you bound and controlled you all your life and you didn’t know how to get out, everything the devil has stolen from you God is going to restore all. Prayer restores all that has been broken in your life in Jesus name.

What causes prayerlessness in your life that hinders your access to the throne room of God?

What is prayerlessness? It’s a declaration of self-sufficiency and not needing God; it’s also failure to spend time with God, which means cutting yourself from God and permitting your spiritual life to whither.

        Prayerlessness is a sin. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right (See 1 Samuel 12:23).

        Doubt and unbelief cause prayerlessness. Being too busy to spend time with God is the greatest hindrance of prayer. So many times, we get caught up with our busy schedules that we forget to spend time with God. We think to ourselves that we can do it on our own. Life ends up so exhausting, miserable, unhappy, and depressed because we are not praying people, and there is more of the flesh in us than the Spirit of God.

        Not prioritizing God first causes prayerlessness. I have experienced this in my own life. Every time I have put things and people before God, I have experienced unhappiness. I would do things I wouldn’t normally do when I did not pray, I was easily irritated, I would not walk in love, and I would become self-centered because I had not tapped into the great source of my life. My life was so confusing because I didn’t spend time with God. Then I came to realize that it was the spirit of prayerlessness hovering over my life, and I wanted it gone. That only happens through prayer.

        Prayerlessness is a sin that we have to overcome daily. It won’t just disappear; we have to put in the effort, or else we will live a destructive lifestyle. It’s a powerful sin in the life of a Christian, and we need to overcome it before if takes over our lives entirely. In order to know God, you have to seek Him in prayer.

        Lack of focus prevents us from spending time with God. Let’s be honest: many of us would admit that one of the greatest obstacles to prayer is concentration. I discovered that situations and things around us easily distract us because most of the time when we are in God’s presence, we get distracted about other things when we are supposed to gaze and think about God alone. We wonder a lot about what did or didn’t happen during the day: maybe it’s a fight with your husband or wife, the financial dilemma you’re facing, your children, a mean boss at work, or something else that is negative that has clouded your ability to focus on seeking God in Spirit and in truth.

        Self-contentment and confidence in your own wisdom causes prayerlessness that leads to distraction. Self-dependency and ignoring God has caused the greatest downfall in the lives of Christians today. When everything is going good for us, when we have money, cars, and houses, we are deceived that we have made it, and we forget that God is the reason we have what we have. We as a body are neglecting to pray, with the excuses we make for it, is a greater sin than we know. It shows that we have little desire for fellowship with God and that our “gift of faith” rests more on our own efforts than on the power of God.

        Don’t be deceived. Without God you are nothing, because you can have all these good things but still be miserable without God. God is our source, and we need to abide in Him daily with prayer and fasting to overcome the sin of prayerlessness.

        Satan keeps us from God’s presence through the lust of the flesh. He does not care about our prayerlessness in our Bible studies, church services, or prayerlessness in our homes. He laughs at our prayerless toils, because he knows he has the opportunity to prey on our weaknesses. Prayerlessness is an open gate for the devil to torment your life. We give Satan direct access in our lives when we don’t pray.

        The devil knows that prayer destroys his kingdom. That’s why he is always looking forward to attacking prayer. It is also why he is after your flesh day and night by setting up traps for you and keeps you from prayer. Once he has captured your mind, he is going to torture your emotions and keep you from prayer. Prayerlessness demonstrates that we have little sense of what God can do with and through us. It reveals that we are not ready to sacrifice the ease and confidence of the flesh in order to wait on God. It proves that the spirituality of our lives is weak to drive us to prevail in prayer. The only way to keep the flesh (devil) out of your life is through prayer. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing so that you will not fall into temptation.

        Our flesh will prevent us from recognizing just how sinful it is for us to live without prayer. When we live in the flesh, prayer becomes our last resort. We don’t feel the need to pray; we want to depend on our strength. I want you to know the flesh has no desire to pray in a way that longs after an intimate fellowship with God. Our flesh must be denied and crucified.

        The sins of rebellion and disobedience cause prayerlessness. Even Jesus condemned sin in the flesh. The flesh keeps us from the presence of the Lord. God is pure and holy and you have to live by the Spirit to abide in Him. God doesn’t entertain the flesh in His presence.

        For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh (See Romans 8:3).

        When we live in the flesh, we live out of our sub-conscious mind instead of the conscious mind. Our actions are not Christ-like; we are controlled by the devil. And the result of sin is death.  For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death (See Romans 7:5)

To me, the flesh means living outside the will of God. It also means doing things that do not represent the kingdom of God, but represent Satan. Satan is the flesh; sin is of the devil and not of God, because everything that is pure and holy is of God. How are you living your life? Are you living by the Spirit of God or by the flesh (devil)?

Here are the sins of the flesh that cause prayerlessness. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, faction and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God (See Galatians 5:19-21).

How to overcome Prayerlessness in order to have an intimate relationship with God?

Put God first and make sure your relationship with Him is flourishing by living in His presence, rejoicing in His love, and resting in Him always. Always call on Him; acknowledge Him as God, and admit that you are nothing without Him. Make your requests known to Him daily, because He always answers prayer.

Make it your goal to live a life of prayer and to be in right relationship with God. Prayer will help you walk in the Spirit of God, which helps you stay in God’s will without being distracted by sin. So pray without ceasing, and your life will be enriched with God’s goodness.

Always have zeal, desire, passion, and desperately hunger and thirst after God through prayer and fasting. The more you surrender all, the more He will fill you with His Holy Spirit, who will pray through you and intercede on your behalf. The Holy Spirit is the great comforter and guide for our lives, so He will direct us towards God. When we seek Him, He will be found, because He has been waiting on you to call on His name.

We are to press in by faith, and pray to God, and draw closer to His presence, because He will fill us with His power to finish strong. So do not lean on your own strength. Cast yourself at the feet of Jesus, and wait upon Him in sure confidence that He is with you and works in you.  Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses (See 1 Timothy 6:12).

Strive in prayer to let faith fill your heart. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (See Hebrews 12:2).

Repent through the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ. Ask for deliverance and forgiveness through the blood of Jesus, and let it cleanse you from the sin of prayerlessness, because we are restored in His blood. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (See 1 John 1:9).

Have a thankful and grateful heart in every situation and don't complain all the time. Know that Lord Jesus is watching over you and holding Himself responsible to teach you how to approach Him in prayer, because a thankful heart is God’s delight. Have a child-like confidence towards God. Call on His name and believe and know He will come through for you. Submit your prayer life and self-control to Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and His love for you.

Believe in the Word of God so that it can be active in your life and deliver you from sin, because the Word of God enables us to take every thought captive and make them obedient to the truth. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (See 2 Corinthians 10:5).

Our authority over Satan can be expressed by pleading the blood of Jesus over the sin of prayerlessness. The devil and the flesh do not function under the blood of Jesus because they are destroyed and powerless. So in your prayer life, always plead the blood of Jesus for your protection from the prince of darkness who is at work every day and night to destroy you. Remember, no weapon formed against you shall prosper.

Put on the whole armor of God. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes (See Ephesians 6:10-11).

In a Christian lifestyle, prayer is a weapon against the enemy, because whenever we wage war against the kingdom of Satan through prayer, he is destroyed. So putting on the armor of God is important because it protects us and reinforces us as we engage in spiritual warfare because with God we have the victory. The name of Jesus delivers us from anything that has us bound. In this case, it delivers us from prayerlessness. We have to know we have been redeemed by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross at Calvary. He paid the price for us and brought us out of darkness into His marvelous light. The Bible Says, For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves (See Colossians 1:13). Prayer is power. Commune with God daily and the rest of your life will be filled with His goodness.

Prayer in the Secret Place

Dear Lord, I thank you for all you have done for me and for more things you are going to do. Teach me your ways that I may walk diligently with you. Teach me how to pray and seek your face, because you are my guide, my light, and my all. In you I am strong. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may walk after the things of the Spirit and not the flesh. Purify me and cleanse me and deliver me from the flesh. Lord, set me free from the spirit of prayerlessness and anoint me with the power of prayer. Draw me close to you so that I will seek after you without ceasing. With you I am safe and protected from the darts of the enemy and all the traps He has set before me. I worship you because you are worthy to be praised. Let the fresh anointing of prayer fall on me right now. To seek you Lord is my heart’s desire. I make my heart available right now; make and mold me in your image to the glory of your name. I surrender my will, my weaknesses, my flesh, and anything that may stand in the way of seeking you and fill me with more of you. Make me whole and transform my life for your purpose, because my life is worthless without you. My heart is yours. I abide in you, Father God. In your name, I pray.

….Amen….

~~~~Meditation Notes~~~~

CHAPTER 13

GRATITUDE AND THANKSGIVING IN GOD’S PRESENCE

Gratitude is kindness awakened by a favor received; it’s a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation. Thanksgiving is a grateful acknowledgment of the benefits of God and it’s an expression and celebration of God’s kindness and love. Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (See 1Thessalonians 5:18).

When we enter God’s presence we are to come with a thankful heart for all He has done for us because He deserves all our praise. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations (See Psalms 100:4-5).

Gratitude strengthens and supports our relationships with God and with other people. Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him... The sea is his, for he made it, and His hands formed the dry land.  Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker (See Psalm 95: 1- 6)

When I look at my life, I see many blessings God has bestowed upon me, and I can’t help but give Him the praise. He has been faithful. He has protected me from all harm. He has healed me and showed me the way. Most of all, He has given me a good healthy life, and He has loved me no matter what. I am forever grateful. “I will give You thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise You” (See Psalm 35:18)

Is there anything that God has done for you that you haven’t thanked Him for? This is your chance. We have to thank God for creating us and for the sacrifice He made by offering His son to die on the cross so that we would be set free and saved. He is the reason we are alive. Thank Him right now for everything. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (See Philippians 4:6).

Most of the time, we forget to acknowledge God and be thankful for all He has done and for bringing us this far. When you look at your life right now and reflect, you will find out that you would have never made it this far if God was not on your side. Take time every day and be grateful for everything in your life, the good and the bad, be thankful and God will bless your life. “Give thanks to the LORD! Call on His name; Make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; Tell of all His wonderful acts” (See Psalms 105: 1-2).

Sometimes we focus on our failures, weaknesses, and stay in that complaining and murmuring state just like the children of Israel. When they were delivered from the hands of pharaoh, and God was leading them to the Promised Land through the wilderness, they complained and murmured instead of giving thanks to God. This kept them in the wilderness for a very long time 40 years to be exact!

If they were grateful and praised God throughout their wilderness journey, it would have been shortened. The more you complain in the midst of your trials, the longer you will stay in the same trial. Praise God out of your wilderness. God pours out more of His blessings upon us when we thank Him and praise Him. Always be grateful.

In the Bible, we see the Israelites complaining to Moses and against God when they got hungry and thirsty, instead of remembering God’s mighty works from the past and trusting Him and being thankful. At times, they even spoke of going back to Egypt, their place of bondage! In the Bible, Egypt is a symbol of Satan’s’ world. Moses also said, "You will know that it was the LORD when He gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because He has heard you’re grumbling against Him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD" (See Exodus 16:8). Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when He heard them His anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp (See Numbers 11:1).

How many times have you found yourself in the same predicament? , Have you had an ungrateful heart and wrong attitude towards God because of the difficult season you have been going through? , Have you despised God and the promises that He made to you and doubted God so much that you wanted to return to worldly pleasures (Egypt) because things didn’t happen according to your timing?, Have you become frustrated and complained instead been thankful and full of praise?  Remember, complaining prolongs your period of waiting. Always have a grateful heart and God’s blessings will follow you always.

We have to realize that God says in His Word He will not give us more than we can handle. Many times we go through a difficult season, but God knows you have the strength to break through. Sometimes God takes us through seasons to mature us to be able to help others, but most of the time it is to help us.

What season are you in? Always understand your season and why you are going through it because God is not against you. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose (See Romans 8:28)

What trials and tribulations are you facing today?  God is calling you to a place of trusting Him with your trials no matter what. As you go through the storm, praise and thank God. I know it’s not easy, but thank Him even when you don’t feel like it. God will get you through. I know He will. He has done it for me so many times. I know He will do it for you.

Anyone who has arrived anywhere with God has traveled through the wilderness. If this is happening to you right now, it shows you that you are on the right track with God. Everybody who walks with God will be tested with trials. God wants to know if you are going to trust Him with your situation. You are not in trouble but in transition!

The process and the transition are not easy. You have to keep pressing on and focus on your destiny. You are going to come through quickly; just give God the praise and thank Him for your trial. Don’t worry about falling, because God will graciously and lovingly pick you up when you call on Him for help. He will allow you to face the same test until you pass it. In everything, give thanks and praise His name, because God empowers you to victory through praise. So let us not grow weary in doing good for at the prosper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (see Galatians 6:9).

Everything in your life will go through God’s fire, but the results of the fire depend on the type of heart you have. When you think about it, you realize that God owes us nothing. All we have to do is give God the praise and thank Him for His goodness in season and out of season.

If you don’t learn to thank, praise, worship, and honor God in your wilderness season, God knows you are not ready for prosperity, abundance, and blessing because you can’t complain and be blessed. Be thankful and prosper.

Sometimes, when things are going great, we think that we are blessed because of our own efforts, and we become very arrogant and proud and forget that God is the giver of blessings. We have to realize we can’t be blessed if we don’t honor God with praise and thanksgiving.

My fellow believers and children of God, we should always have a thankful attitude so that God will be pleased to lift us up and empower us at the right time.

A grateful heart draws us closer to the heart of God and His presence. It pleases God when His children are humble before Him and give Him thanks. Thank God every day for the life He has given you and you will enjoy the fruit of the land that comes from the one true God, our Abba Father. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!  (See 2 Corinthians 9:15).God Bless you!

Thanksgiving Prayer

Dear Lord, I thank you for the gift of life and for all you have done for me. Thank you for being faithful, loving, merciful, and gracious to me. Thank you for always protecting and providing for me. I thank you for who you are. Lord thank you for the air that I breathe, for the victories you have always helped me win, for always walking before me and protecting me from harm, for picking me up when I was down, for wiping my tears away and giving me joy in the morning, for showing me mercy and forgiving me time and time again. Thank you for rescuing me with your love when I was lost in the world. Thank you for your sacrifice and caring so much about me that you redeemed me back to yourself. I worship and praise your name. You are so holy. Thank you for loving me and for pouring out your blessing on me and my family in Jesus name I pray

….Amen….

~~~~Meditation Notes~~~~

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

THE SECRET PLACE

ABIDING IN GOD

ALONE WITH GOD

SECURITY

PURIFIED IN GOD

INTIMACY WITH GOD

MY EVERYTHING

WORSHIP

LOVE STORY

GOD’S PRESENCE

REFRESHING ANOINTING

PRAYER IN THE SECRET PLACE

GRATITUDE AND THANKSGIVING IN GOD’S PRESENCE